F1 United States GP 2026 Live: Schedule, Streams & Can Antonelli Clinch the Title in Austin?

Racing Statistics

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Formula 1 is in Austin for Round 18 of 23, and this could be the weekend Kimi Antonelli becomes world champion. He comes to the Circuit of the Americas 102 points clear of George Russell with six races and 150 points left. Below you'll find the full weekend schedule, our live stream links for every session, the exact clinch maths and the Pirelli tyre and strategy preview.

Split-screen F1 thumbnail with black race car, track map, and text: ANTONELLI CHAMPION?, +102 POINTS LEAD, AUSTIN CLINCH?, VERSTAPPEN POLE LAP?

Watch the US GP Live With Racing Statistics

We're live for every session with live timing, telemetry, data overlays and title-maths updates as they happen. Times below are Central European (Macedonia, Germany, Italy, etc.). Clocks go back on Sunday, so the race is in CET.

F1 United States GP 2026 weekend schedule infographic with practice, qualifying, and race times for Austin and Central Europe.

FP1 · Fri 23 Oct · 19:30 CEST (12:30 Austin) · Watch live on YouTube
FP2 · Fri 23 Oct · 23:00 CEST (16:00 Austin) · Watch live on YouTube
FP3 · Sat 24 Oct · 19:30 CEST (12:30 Austin) · Watch live on YouTube
Qualifying · Sat 24 Oct · 23:00 CEST (16:00 Austin) · Watch live on YouTube
Race (56 laps) · Sun 25 Oct · 21:00 CET (14:00 Austin) · Watch live on YouTube

Prefer Twitch? We're live there too at twitch.tv/racing_statistics. Subscribe on YouTube (@RacingStatistics) and hit the bell so you get notified when each stream starts.

US GP Preview Video

Our weekend preview has the whole 2026 season replayed as a championship bar race (every point, all 23 drivers), the full title maths for Austin, and Max Verstappen's 2025 COTA pole lap (1:32.510) driven on real telemetry. It finishes with the standings and the weekend schedule.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYSvLjvoUGs

Can Antonelli Clinch the Title in Austin?

There are no sprints left, so each race is worth a maximum of 25 points. After Austin, only 125 points remain. To be crowned on Sunday, Antonelli has to leave Texas more than 125 points ahead of everyone. That happens if all three of these come true:

Dark infographic titled Can Antonelli Clinch It in Austin? with bars for Russell, Hamilton, Leclerc and Norris title scenarios

1. Antonelli wins. A P2 isn't enough, because a second place behind a rival only gains 25 − 18 = 7 points.
2. Russell finishes P10 or lower. He's 102 behind, so the gap has to grow by 24 points.
3. Hamilton finishes P5 or lower. He's 111 behind, so the gap has to grow by 15 points.

If those three happen, Verstappen (−119), Leclerc (−125) and Norris (−139) are covered automatically. Oscar Piastri is already out of the fight at −202.

If it doesn't happen in Austin, Mexico City is next. After Mexico, 100 points remain, so a lead of 101 or more is enough. Antonelli already leads Russell by 102, which means Russell has to outscore him by at least 2 points across Austin and Mexico combined just to take the fight to Brazil. And the simplest way to put it: 49 more points makes Antonelli champion no matter what anyone else does. A tie on points would go to whoever has more wins, but we only count a clear lead here.

Standings Before Austin

1. Antonelli (Mercedes) 340
2. Russell (Mercedes) 238, −102
3. Hamilton (Ferrari) 229, −111
4. Verstappen (Red Bull) 221, −119
5. Leclerc (Ferrari) 215, −125
6. Norris (McLaren) 201, −139

Behind Antonelli, the fight for P2 is wide open, with five drivers from four teams covered by 37 points. In the constructors' championship, Mercedes (578) lead Ferrari (444), while McLaren (339) and Red Bull (332) are separated by just 7 points in the battle for third.

COTA Tyres and Strategy Preview

Pirelli brings the C2 (Hard), C3 (Medium) and C4 (Soft) to Austin. That's a return to a combination used before, after the 2025 selection left a step between the C1 Hard and the C3 Medium.

Dark infographic titled COTA: TYRES & TRACK with tire compounds C2, C3, C4, circuit stats, and strategy notes for US GP.

Circuit: 5.513 km, 56 laps, 308.405 km race distance. Traction, tyre stress, lateral load and track evolution are all rated 4 out of 5 by Pirelli.
Both axles get worked: the fronts through the fast first sector, then thermal degradation on the rears out of the slow corners in sector three.
Wear over graining: only Turns 9 to 11 were resurfaced this year, and several tyres reached very high wear values in 2025.
Strategy: a one-stop is expected, with a 21.5-second pit loss and a C2 Hard suited to long stints. The Texas heat could open up other strategies.
No Sprint: a classic weekend with FP1, FP2, FP3, Qualifying and the Race.

2025 Flashback

Max Verstappen took pole at COTA last year with a 1:32.510, and he arrives this time with back-to-back wins in Malaysia and Singapore. In the 2025 race, 13 drivers went Medium to Soft. Only three started on the C1 Hard, which covered just 6% of race laps. With a softer Hard this year, expect it to play a much bigger role.

Who Takes Pole in Austin?

Antonelli, Russell, Verstappen, Norris, Leclerc or Hamilton? Tell us in the chat during the live stream. This post will be updated after every session with results and data, so check back all weekend. Follow us on Facebook for charts and graphics straight after each session.