TGR StaffThe sound of Formula 1 Austin returned to the Texas Hill Country this weekend as the world’s fastest racing series descended on Circuit of The Americas for the 2026 United States Grand Prix. With championship implications, a resurgent Ferrari, and Red Bull Racing showing formidable pace, the opening two days in Austin have provided plenty of reasons to anticipate an exciting Sunday afternoon.
For much of the weekend, Ferrari appeared to be the team to beat. Charles Leclerc dominated Friday’s practice sessions, Lewis Hamilton continued the Scuderia’s momentum on Saturday morning, and the Italian team seemed poised to challenge for its first pole position of the season. But when the pressure was highest, Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli delivered the lap that mattered most.
The young Italian claimed pole position with a 1:34.035, beating Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen by 0.179 seconds and Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar by 0.215 seconds. It was Antonelli’s seventh pole position of the 2026 season and an especially important result on a weekend when he could potentially secure his first Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship.
Ferrari sets the pace on Friday
The weekend began Friday, October 23, with two practice sessions that immediately established Ferrari as a serious contender.
Leclerc topped the opening session with a 1:36.052, edging Verstappen by just 0.084 seconds. McLaren’s Lando Norris completed the top three, followed by George Russell and Kimi Antonelli in the Mercedes cars.
The narrow margins suggested that the battle at the front would be decided as much by driver confidence and circuit conditions as outright performance. COTA’s combination of high-speed direction changes, heavy braking zones, and uneven pavement made finding the right setup especially challenging.
Ferrari arrived in Austin with upgrades to its car, and the early indications suggested the changes were delivering improvements. Leclerc looked comfortable through the circuit’s demanding opening sector, while the team continued refining its setup throughout the afternoon.
By the second session, the Ferrari driver’s advantage had become more convincing. Leclerc recorded a 1:35.291 to complete a sweep of Friday practice, although Mercedes’ Antonelli finished just 0.042 seconds behind. Verstappen remained firmly in contention, finishing third, 0.189 seconds off the pace.
Hamilton placed fourth in FP2, giving Ferrari two cars near the front of the field, while Mercedes and Red Bull demonstrated that neither team could be discounted.
The day was less encouraging for McLaren. Despite showing speed in the opening session, Norris and Oscar Piastri finished seventh and eighth in FP2 as the team struggled to find a consistent balance.
For the teams, Friday also provided important information about tire wear. COTA’s abrasive surface, pronounced bumps, and mixture of high- and low-speed corners can make tire management a deciding factor in Sunday’s race.
Friday practice results, combined with the teams’ initial assessments, suggested that Ferrari had made genuine progress, but there was little separation between the leading contenders.
Saturday Morning: Hamilton Keeps Ferrari On Top
Saturday’s final practice session appeared to reinforce Ferrari’s status as the early favorite.
This time it was Hamilton who led the field, setting a 1:34.893 to complete a clean sweep of all three practice sessions for the Italian manufacturer. Verstappen finished second, just 0.168 seconds behind, while Leclerc secured third.
Antonelli and Russell completed the top five, leaving Mercedes in a competitive position heading into qualifying.
The session was another reminder of the challenges presented by the 3.426-mile Circuit of The Americas. Track limits became a recurring issue throughout the weekend, with several drivers losing competitive lap times after running beyond the permitted boundaries.
Leclerc was among those affected, losing a potentially faster lap during final practice.
For Ferrari, the results were encouraging, but practice performance does not always translate into qualifying success. Mercedes had remained competitive throughout the weekend, and Verstappen was clearly comfortable pushing his Red Bull close to the limits of the circuit.
By the time qualifying began Saturday afternoon, the stage was set for a closely contested fight between three of Formula 1’s most recognizable manufacturers.
Formula 1 Austin Qualifying: Antonelli delivers when it matters
With Ferrari having topped every practice session, the momentum appeared to favor the Scuderia. Instead, Antonelli produced the defining performance of the weekend.
His opening Q3 lap of 1:34.035 proved impossible to beat. As the final minutes ticked away, none of his rivals found the improvement necessary to displace the Mercedes driver.
Verstappen came closest, securing second with a 1:34.214 and ensuring a Mercedes-Red Bull front row for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Hadjar delivered one of the day’s standout performances, qualifying third with a 1:34.250. The result put both Red Bull Racing drivers among the top three, an impressive recovery for Hadjar after a difficult Friday.
Leclerc could manage only fourth despite his earlier dominance, while Hamilton qualified fifth.
Russell took sixth, followed by Oscar Piastri in seventh. Norris finished eighth after losing a lap time for exceeding track limits, while Racing Bulls teammates Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson completed the top ten in the qualifying classification.
For Antonelli, the pole position was more than another Saturday achievement. With a substantial lead in the Drivers’ Championship, he entered Austin with a mathematical opportunity to secure the title. Starting from pole puts him in the strongest possible position to pursue that goal, although the championship outcome will depend on Sunday’s results.
For Red Bull, placing both cars in the top three is another indication of the team’s competitiveness at a circuit that rewards both aerodynamic efficiency and driver commitment.
The battle for Sunday
TOP 10 QUALIFYING RESULTS | OCTOBER 24, 2026
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time / Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:34.035 |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +0.179s |
| 3 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | +0.215s |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.232s |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.276s |
| 6 | George Russell | Mercedes | +0.441s |
| 7 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | Seventh |
| 8 | Lando Norris | McLaren | Eighth |
| 9 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | Ninth |
| 10 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | Tenth |
Qualifying classification, before grid penalties. Lindblad faces a five-place penalty, while Franco Colapinto and Gabriel Bortoleto also have power-unit-related grid penalties.
Despite Ferrari’s strong showing throughout practice, Sunday’s race looks anything but predictable.
Antonelli has the advantage of starting from pole, but Verstappen has demonstrated the pace necessary to challenge the Mercedes driver. The run to COTA’s uphill Turn 1 could prove decisive, particularly with Hadjar and Leclerc immediately behind them.
Ferrari’s long-run performance will also be worth watching. Leclerc and Hamilton demonstrated competitive pace throughout practice, and the team’s upgrades appear to have improved the car’s balance. Whether that translates into race-distance performance remains to be seen.
McLaren, meanwhile, faces the challenge of working forward from the fourth row. With Piastri and Norris qualifying seventh and eighth, the team will need a strong race strategy and effective tire management to challenge the leaders.
For American motorsport fans, there is another interesting storyline further down the field. Cadillac is competing in its inaugural Formula 1 season, with Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas qualifying 21st and 22nd. The team’s presence adds another American manufacturer to a championship that has enjoyed enormous growth in the United States.
Everything to play for in Austin
The Circuit of The Americas has established itself as one of Formula 1’s most compelling modern venues. Its dramatic elevation changes, sweeping high-speed corners, and technical final sector demand precision from the drivers and compromise from the engineers.
The 2026 United States Grand Prix also returns to a traditional three-practice format rather than the sprint format used in Austin during the previous three seasons.
After two days of running, the competitive picture remains remarkably close. Ferrari has shown the strongest overall practice pace, Red Bull has delivered an impressive qualifying performance, and Mercedes has secured the position every team wanted.
With a championship potentially on the line, Verstappen looking to challenge for another victory, and Ferrari determined to turn its promising pace into a meaningful result, Sunday’s race promises to deliver another memorable chapter in the history of Formula 1 in Texas.
The 56-lap United States Grand Prix gets underway Sunday, October 25, at 3:00 p.m. Central Time.
