Kimi Antonelli could win the 2026 F1 world championship this weekend in Austin (PA)

Formula 1 returns to the Circuit of the Americas this weekend for the United States Grand Prix - as Kimi Antonelli stands on the cusp of his first world championship.

The 20-year-old Italian holds a 102-point lead over Mercedes teammate George Russell and will win his first title if he wins this Sunday’s grand prix and Russell finishes ninth or lower. Antonelli also needs Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton to finish fifth or lower.

READ: How F1 champion-elect Antonelli has vindicated Wolff’s bravest Mercedes move

A podium last time out in Singapore extended Antonelli’s lead, as Max Verstappen claimed his second victory in a row amid a Red Bull resurgence this season. Russell, meanwhile, only finished ninth and crashed out of the sprint race in Marina Bay.

The popular race in Austin is the start of another triple-header, with Mexico and Brazil to follow in the weeks ahead.…