F1 Grand Prix in Austin: weekend schedule and the championship standings

From October 23 to 25, Austin, Texas, will host the 18th round of the 2026 Formula 1 season — the United States Grand Prix. This Sunday, at the Circuit of The Americas, championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli has a mathematical chance to secure his first title early, UNN  reports.

United States Grand Prix weekend schedule in Austin

From Friday, October 23, to Sunday, October 25, the 18th round of the 2026 Formula 1 season — the United States Grand Prix — will take place at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin.

The sessions will take place as follows:

• Friday, October 23: first practice: 20:30, second practice: 00:00;
• Saturday, October 24: third practice: 20:30, qualifying: 00:00.

The race itself will take place on Sunday, October 25, at 22:00.

Features of the Circuit of the Americas

The Circuit of The Americas (COTA), designed by Hermann Tilke in cooperation with the American architectural firm HKS, had a somewhat troubled start, as several setbacks occurred during construction. However, the wait proved worthwhile when 1978 Formula 1 champion Mario Andretti officially opened the circuit on October 21, 2012.

In 2012, the Circuit of The Americas hosted a Formula 1 race for the first time — it was the first United States Grand Prix since the 2007 race in Indianapolis. As expected, more than 100,000 spectators filled the grandstands in Austin to witness Lewis Hamilton's final victory for McLaren before his move to Mercedes in 2013.

The United States Grand Prix begins with a 250-meter stretch from pole position to the braking point before Turn 1 — an uphill corner that is wide enough to give drivers the opportunity to choose their line and allow the competitors to regroup before the completion of the first lap.

The first Formula 1 race at the Circuit of The Americas took place in 2012 — it was the first United States Grand Prix since 2007. Since then, the race has attracted one of the largest audiences in the sport, while Lewis Hamilton became world champion here in both 2015 and 2019.

Here is what makes this circuit such an exciting challenge and why this event attracts so many spectators.

The championship standings before the round

Kimi Antonelli has remained at the top of the drivers' standings since the third round of the season in Japan — and his lead grew even stronger after he finished on the podium at the most recent Singapore Grand Prix.

After the 17th round of the season, the Italian leads his closest pursuer, George Russell, by 102 points, while Lewis Hamilton, who is in third place, trails by 111 points.

Mathematically, five other drivers remain in the title fight alongside Antonelli — Russell, Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris.

However, the real chances of those lower down the standings winning the title are negligible, as their chances of victory depend on Antonelli not scoring more points and no other driver exceeding the Italian's current tally of 340 points.

Under this scenario, Russell, Hamilton and Verstappen would have to wait until the round in Qatar to win the title, while Leclerc and Norris could win it only in Abu Dhabi.

To win the championship, Antonelli must win, while Russell must finish ninth or lower. Hamilton must also cross the finish line fifth or lower, while Verstappen can finish in any position.

In other words, to secure his first world championship title in Austin, Antonelli needs to score 23 more points than Russell, 14 more than Hamilton and six more than Verstappen.

Recall

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen secured pole position for the sprint at the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix. Despite a dramatic incident involving a possible rules violation under yellow flags, the stewards decided not to penalize the Dutch driver.