2026 United States GP Preview: Crazy First Corner, Antonelli’s Title Hopes, Verstappen’s Win
The F1 cars are rolling into Austin, Texas this weekend, ready for another exciting chapter in the world championship.
There’s a big moment coming up: Kimi Antonelli could win the title on Sunday—if his teammate George Russell doesn’t manage a decent finish. But as we’ve seen often this year, that’s a tough ask for the British driver in 2026.
Russell has a clear goal: to win the race if he wants to keep his championship hopes alive. For Antonelli to take the title, Russell can’t finish higher than ninth, and third-placed Lewis Hamilton must come in fifth or lower.
Antonelli would make history too! At just 20 years and 61 days old, he’d be the youngest F1 world champion ever, beating Sebastian Vettel’s record of 23 years and 134 days.
Looking at the season so far, it seems unlikely it will happen in Texas. After an incredible start with five wins in six races, Antonelli has settled into a strong but less flashy lead. His last win was four races ago in Madrid, which came after a safety car shook things up in his favor.
Meanwhile, Russell’s had a rough year, facing mechanical problems and struggling with the 2026 Mercedes car. So unless Russell has another bad race, don’t expect big championship celebrations for Antonelli in Austin.
On the other hand, Max Verstappen is relaxed—and that makes him very dangerous.
With the Red Bull RB22 performing brilliantly and no championship pressure on him this year, Verstappen can just go all out every race. That’s scary for his rivals. The four-time world champ is known for pushing hard in wheel-to-wheel battles, and there’s no reason he won’t do the same in Texas.
Verstappen loves the Circuit of the Americas too. He’s won there four times, second only to Hamilton’s six wins. As Verstappen has said, Austin is about finding the perfect balance between straight-line speed, downforce for sweeping corners, and handling the bumps on the track.
Red Bull’s new upgrades from Azerbaijan have helped with downforce and aerodynamics, making it easier to adapt to different tracks. Plus, their improved engine energy management has boosted their recent success.
Other top drivers will need to stay sharp in Austin.
The one-stop tire strategy has ruled here for years, with most drivers going long on Medium tires before switching to the slower but tougher Hard tires. Many avoid softer tires because the track usually wears them down fast.
Last year, the FIA tried to shake things up by offering very different tire options—hard C1, medium C3, and soft C4—to encourage different strategies and more pit stops. But not many took the risk. Charles Leclerc started on soft tires and jumped to second, but he eventually slowed down and held up Lando Norris behind him.
For 2026, Pirelli has brought tires closer in performance: C2 (Hard), C3 (Medium), and C4 (Soft). It’ll take a brave driver to try something different from the usual one-stop, but someone will need to get creative to change the game.
The US GP always draws a lot of celebrities too, which makes for some fun moments, especially with Sky commentator Martin Brundle. His famous grid walks and celebrity interviews have led to some memorable reactions.
In 2022, Hollywood star Brad Pitt, supposedly researching for the new F1 movie, first gave Brundle the cold shoulder, but later gave in after fans made a fuss online.
In 2021, Brundle even tried to get a freestyle rap from artist Megan Thee Stallion—only to end up with a classic line of his own when he was pushed away: “I can do that, because I just did.”
In Austin, don’t ignore Brundle!
The COTA track has a long run-up to a tight first corner, where crashes often happen. Last year’s Sprint race saw a late-braking Nico Hülkenberg hit Lando Norris, who then collided with Oscar Piastri. Both McLaren cars were out instantly.
The next day, Antonelli and Alexander Albon also clashed—adding to Austin’s reputation as a bit of a demolition derby. Will this weekend see more chaos?
It fits the “cowboy country” vibe, as the Circuit of the Americas is known for being a wild ride. Built on a floodplain, the ground shifts a lot, making the track bumpy and uneven.
For F1 drivers, who sit very low in stiff cars, this makes for an uncomfortable trip. Verstappen joked he might need to “order a new spine” after this race.
This year, Turns 9, 10, and 11 got resurfaced, and bumps were smoothed out at Turns 12 and 19. We’ll see if these changes help the drivers.
It’s not just about comfort either—the team that figures out how to handle these bumps without losing speed will likely set the fastest laps.
Get ready for an exciting weekend of F1 action in Austin!