F1 Heads to Austin Next Weekend: Antonelli Could Clinch the World Title at COTA
AUSTIN — Round 18 of the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship, the United States Grand Prix, will be held October 23–25 at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) outside Austin, Texas. According to motorsport outlet Crash.net, Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli leads the drivers' standings by a commanding margin and could mathematically clinch the world championship in Austin.
At the previous round in Singapore, Red Bull's Max Verstappen won the race while Antonelli finished third on the podium. Crash.net notes that Antonelli's points lead after Singapore is large enough for the title to be decided at COTA, depending on how his closest pursuers finish; the exact clinching scenarios will be calculated ahead of the race weekend.
Austin opens F1's Americas triple-header, followed by Mexico City and São Paulo. COTA has hosted the United States Grand Prix since 2012, missing only 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The roughly 5.5-kilometre circuit is known for its steep uphill run to Turn 1 and its fast, flowing middle sector.
In the record books, Lewis Hamilton holds the most wins at COTA with five (2012, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017). Verstappen has won there four times and could equal Hamilton's tally this year. Verstappen also won the 2025 race at COTA, ahead of Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc.
The weekend schedule features two practice sessions on Friday, a third practice and qualifying on Saturday, and the Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon local time. After Austin, five rounds remain in 2026: Mexico, Brazil, Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
(Sources: Crash.net schedule and preview reporting; dates per the official F1 calendar.)
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 美洲赛道（COTA）全景航拍，位于美国德克萨斯州奥斯汀（Formulanone 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，via Wikimedia Commons）
