Antonelli can seal F1 title in Austin as Racing Bulls weigh 2027 call
Kimi Antonelli can become Formula 1 world champion in Austin this weekend.
The Mercedes driver arrives at the Circuit of the Americas with his first chance to settle the 2026 drivers' title. To do it, he must win Sunday's United States Grand Prix while team-mate George Russell finishes ninth or lower and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton finishes fifth or lower, according to BBC F1 correspondent Andrew Benson answering reader questions ahead of the race BBC.
It is a narrow path. Austin is only the first of six rounds still to run before the season ends in December. Antonelli needs victory and both rivals well down the order on the same afternoon.
For fans, this means the title fight could end early, but probably will not. The permutations show why Antonelli already has a shot with five races to spare, and how much still has to go right for him in Texas.
The race itself is Round 18 of the championship. Action runs 23-25 October in Austin, Texas, with the grand prix officially titled the Formula 1 MSC Cruises United States Grand Prix 2026 and scheduled for 25 October at 13:00 Formula1.com.
Away from the title race, Benson also addressed the unresolved driver market at Racing Bulls. The Red Bull second team is one of only two outfits yet to finalise its 2027 line-up, alongside Haas, where Oliver Bearman is still to be confirmed next to new signing Rafael Camara.
Three names are in the frame at Racing Bulls: current drivers Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad, plus Red Bull junior Nikola Tsolov, who sits second in Formula 2, the main feeder series below Formula 1.
Benson reported that Lawson is consistently quicker than Lindblad at the moment, in both qualifying and races. That edge matters, but no call has been made. The decision ultimately rests with shareholders Chalerm Yoovidhya and Mark Mateschitz, with Red Bull chief executive Oliver Mintzlaff in overall charge of the Formula 1 programme. It is the first time in Red Bull history that Helmut Marko is not in charge of driver choice at the junior team.
Lawson and Lindblad started 2026 as Racing Bulls' confirmed pairing. At the season's half-term stage, Lawson led Lindblad 6-5 in their head-to-head and sat one place ahead in the team's internal report Formula1.com. Lindblad has since scored in nine of his last 10 races in his rookie campaign, while the team scored at every round up to the break except Miami.
Benson also noted Formula 1 owner Liberty Media's long-running push to add a race in Africa, an ambition held since it took control of the sport in 2017.
