No. 102 · 40 stories · 5 sources
Lights out and away we go
Sunday 25 October 2026
This week’s most consequential developments
Lewis Hamilton was fastest in the final practice session in Austin, ahead of Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, and was the only driver under 1m35s in the last 20 minutes.
Why it matters Practice pace suggested Ferrari could be competitive, but qualifying is where the grid order is actually set.
Kimi Antonelli took pole in Austin, holding off the Red Bull pair, and credited Mercedes' fine-tuning of a troubled Malaysia upgrade package.
Why it matters Mercedes' upgrade appears to be working after a difficult start, which matters for the championship battle.
Kimi Antonelli took an unexpected pole in Austin, ahead of Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar, in a car he said had been difficult to drive.
Why it matters The result hints that Mercedes may have recovered from a troubled upgrade, with Antonelli leading the title race.
Kimi Antonelli claimed his seventh pole of 2026 with a 1m34.035s lap, beating Max Verstappen in a close session, with George Russell down in sixth.
Why it matters Antonelli's seventh pole this year strengthens his position as championship leader heading into Sunday's race.
Lewis Hamilton topped final practice in Austin, ahead of Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, despite frequent track limits violations across the session.
Why it matters Hamilton's pace in practice points to a strong Ferrari challenge, though qualifying often tells a different story.
Charles Leclerc was just under a tenth of a second quicker than Max Verstappen in the opening practice session at Austin, in an upgraded Ferrari.
Why it matters Early pace in Austin suggests Ferrari's upgrade may close the gap on Red Bull's recent form.
George Russell, starting sixth after a disappointing qualifying, argues Formula 1 may need to reconsider how low and stiff the current cars are run.
Why it matters Russell's criticism of car set-up rules could influence how the sport approaches future regulation and car design.
Ferrari, tipped as favourites after practice, failed to find enough pace to progress through Q3 in Austin, despite Charles Leclerc leading both Friday sessions.
Why it matters A clear gap between practice and qualifying form suggests Ferrari's car behaves differently under race-pace preparation.
George Russell joked that he would take team-mate Kimi Antonelli drinking to stop him winning the championship in Austin, where Antonelli can clinch his first title.
Why it matters Antonelli can secure his maiden title on Sunday, making the Mercedes team-mate rivalry a live story.
Max Verstappen, qualifying second in Austin 0.179 seconds behind Antonelli, said he had no reason to smile after a lack of grip in Q3 cost him pole.
Why it matters Verstappen's frustration suggests Red Bull still has work to do if it hopes to close the gap on Mercedes.
Lewis Hamilton completed a Ferrari sweep of final practice in Austin after Charles Leclerc's quickest lap was deleted for exceeding track limits.
Why it matters Track limits enforcement could decide qualifying positions, so drivers' lap times may be less reliable than they look.
Leclerc narrowly edged Kimi Antonelli for the fastest time in second practice, while McLaren were reported to be struggling for grip around the Circuit of the Americas.
Why it matters McLaren's grip problems in Friday running may matter for the championship contenders' race-day strategy.
Leclerc went quickest again in Friday's second practice session, narrowly ahead of Antonelli, with McLaren reportedly struggling for grip on the Austin track.
Why it matters Leclerc's Friday sweep gives Ferrari early momentum, though practice times do not always carry over to race day.
Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have offered explanations for why Ferrari failed to carry its practice pace into qualifying in Austin.
Why it matters Ferrari's struggle to convert practice speed into a qualifying lap affects its chances of winning on Sunday.
Ferrari, the pre-qualifying favourites, dropped to fourth and fifth in Austin, with Leclerc and Hamilton unable to explain the loss of one-lap pace.
Why it matters Ferrari's missing single-lap speed raises doubts about its race chances, despite strong long-run form earlier in the weekend.
Leclerc and Hamilton offer differing explanations for Ferrari failing to progress beyond Q3 in Austin, despite Leclerc topping both Friday practice sessions.
Why it matters Ferrari's qualifying shortfall raises questions about whether its practice pace translates into race speed in Texas.
Antonelli will start from pole at the United States Grand Prix, with Max Verstappen alongside him on the front row.
Why it matters Antonelli's pole gives him a strong platform in his bid to take the 2026 world championship.
Hamilton says he doubted Red Bull could build an engine better than Mercedes or Ferrari, but says the Ford partnership has proved him wrong.
Why it matters The FIA has named the Red Bull-Ford unit the benchmark internal combustion engine, a notable shift in the power unit order.
Russell concedes Mercedes's latest multi-million-dollar upgrade package needs further work to fine-tune it, as team-mate Antonelli nears the world title.
Why it matters Mercedes's struggles with the upgrade matter as Antonelli's championship lead is at stake this weekend.
Verstappen missed pole in Austin after Ferrari had led all three practice sessions, ending his run of consecutive pole positions this season.
Why it matters The result ends Verstappen's run of pole positions and suggests Mercedes has the edge over Red Bull in qualifying trim.
Piastri, seventh on the grid, says the bump on the approach to Turn 1 could create overtaking problems, after finishing 0.768 seconds off Antonelli.
Why it matters Track surface concerns at Circuit of the Americas could affect how drivers attack the opening corner on Sunday.
Antonelli has provisional pole for Mercedes, with Verstappen and Isack Hadjar completing the front two rows of the United States Grand Prix grid.
Why it matters The provisional order sets up a contest between Mercedes and Red Bull at the front of the field in Texas.
Verstappen finished both Friday practice sessions second or third, within two tenths of Leclerc, but Red Bull has identified areas still needing work.
Why it matters Red Bull's practice pace suggests it could be competitive, though its weaknesses may limit its result on Sunday.
Red Bull has named two key focus areas after Verstappen's encouraging Friday running at the United States Grand Prix, where he was close to Leclerc.
Why it matters Red Bull's identified weak spots could determine whether Verstappen can challenge the leaders on Sunday.
Lando Norris says McLaren are a step behind, with its two mid-season wins now looking like a purple patch rather than a sustained recovery.
Why it matters McLaren's final 2026 upgrades will determine whether it can hold off rivals in the closing races of the season.
Hamilton has praised Kimi Antonelli as massively impressive and said he deserves to be champion, with the Mercedes driver holding a 102-point lead over Russell.
Why it matters Antonelli could secure his first title at Austin, a remarkable outcome for a driver still early in his career.
Norris, the reigning world champion, qualified eighth despite briefly running sixth, and described his own performance as a very bad job.
Why it matters A poor qualifying session leaves Norris and McLaren with ground to make up in the race.
Formula 1 heads to Sunday's United States Grand Prix with Antonelli on pole, who could clinch the title if results go his way; Russell starts sixth.
Why it matters Antonelli has a chance to clinch the championship on Sunday, depending on how Russell finishes.
Charles Leclerc led the opening practice session at the Circuit of the Americas, with Max Verstappen close behind in second.
Why it matters Ferrari's early pace in Austin signals a challenge to Red Bull at the top of the timing sheets.
Verstappen says Red Bull must understand why his car felt better on used tyres in qualifying, describing the loss of pace in Q3 as very odd.
Why it matters Red Bull's unexplained Q3 drop-off could cost it places on Sunday if the problem is not solved.
Hadjar, who recovered from a difficult start to the weekend, finished just 0.036 seconds behind Verstappen and says Red Bull can use its numbers to challenge Antonelli.
Why it matters Hadjar's near-identical lap to Verstappen gives Red Bull two cars capable of pressing Antonelli in the race.
Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur said his team was in contention until the final corner of Q3 and admitted he expected more after topping practice.
Why it matters Vasseur's comments point to a gap between Ferrari's practice pace and its qualifying execution.
Kimi Antonelli says Mercedes has taken another step in extracting performance from its recent upgrade package, with a new front wing option brought to Austin.
Why it matters Antonelli leads the championship, so Mercedes's progress at Austin bears directly on the title fight.
Christian Horner says he is in no hurry to return to Formula 1 and could accept never working in the paddock again, after his sacking by Red Bull in July 2025.
Why it matters Horner's comments close the chapter on a figure who shaped Red Bull's success over two decades.
Lando Norris says McLaren are chasing perfection and are a step behind, as the team seeks to resolve problems with its final 2026 upgrades.
Why it matters McLaren's remaining upgrades are key to whether it can challenge the leading teams in the final races.
Hamilton and Leclerc have both played down expectations for Ferrari's upgrade package, which includes a new floor, for the United States Grand Prix.
Why it matters The muted response from Ferrari's drivers suggests the much-hyped package may not deliver the expected step forward.
Charles Leclerc says he does not expect to miss any of the remaining six races this season, despite his first child being due within weeks.
Why it matters Leclerc's stance leaves open the question of how Ferrari would plan for a sudden absence in the closing rounds.
Lando Norris says McLaren's car is one of the hardest he has driven, despite a run of pole positions and race wins.
Why it matters Coming from a regular winner, the criticism suggests McLaren's car is harder to exploit than its results imply.
Toto Wolff has praised Kimi Antonelli's pole position lap at the Circuit of the Americas, describing it with evident surprise.
Why it matters Antonelli's pole gives Mercedes a strong starting position for Sunday's race in Austin.
Charles Leclerc qualified fourth, ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton in fifth, and says both drivers know the limits into Turn 1.
Why it matters With both Ferrari drivers starting close together, the first corner could decide who gains or loses ground early.