What happened: Kimi Antonelli is keeping his focus steady ahead of the United States Grand Prix despite the chance to eclipse Sebastian Vettel's Formula 1 mark. McLaren driver Lando Norris weighed in on the championship battle ahead of the Austin round, noting that while he rates George Russell highly, Antonelli has performed two levels above his teammate.

Why it matters: The title opportunity follows a costly stretch on the other side of the garage after Russell started at the back of the grid in Singapore following a Malaysia engine failure and ran an older specification in a split test. Max Verstappen captured his first career victory at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in that Singapore race while Mercedes navigated its recent four-race pole drought.

What to watch: Antonelli will clinch the 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship at Circuit of the Americas if he wins Sunday's race while Russell finishes ninth or lower and Lewis Hamilton fails to close the gap.