Kimi Antonelli won the United States Grand Prix in Austin on Sunday, moving within two points of clinching the Formula 1 world title.

The 20-year-old Mercedes driver dominated the race, finishing 13 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and 17 seconds clear of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. His ninth victory of the season extended his championship lead to 123 points over teammate George Russell, with only 125 points remaining in the campaign. A ninth-place finish in next weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix would secure the title, regardless of Russell’s result.

Antonelli started from pole and controlled the race despite a mid-race tire strategy gamble. While Verstappen and others opted for multiple stops, Antonelli’s single-stop approach paid off, allowing him to reclaim the lead and pull away. “It was the drive of a champion who isn’t yet a champion,” Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said afterward .

Ferrari’s Leclerc briefly overtook Verstappen early on but settled for second, while Russell finished eighth, 54 seconds behind Antonelli. The gap underscored the Italian’s dominance in identical machinery. “My pace was just rubbish today, to put it briefly,” Russell admitted .

Antonelli’s triumph marked Mercedes’ continued strength, with Wolff noting the team’s updates had given the car an edge. The victory also denied Ferrari a chance to prolong the title fight, as Leclerc’s second place was not enough to close the gap. “We could have won this 18th world championship race,” noted one report, but Ferrari’s errors at critical moments cost them .

The Italian national anthem played for Antonelli on the podium, a moment of pride for a nation waiting 73 years for a homegrown champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953. If he secures the title in Mexico, he will become the youngest world champion in F1 history, surpassing Sebastian Vettel’s record .