Overview
- Kimi Antonelli claimed pole for the United States Grand Prix with a 1:34.035 in Saturday qualifying, putting him one win away from the 2026 title if George Russell finishes no better than ninth and Lewis Hamilton no better than fifth.
- Race stewards changed the provisional grid after qualifying, most notably sending Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto to the back after his team fitted multiple extra power‑unit parts including a fifth internal combustion engine, turbo and exhaust.
- Mercedes said an upgrade delivered a clear single‑lap gain in Austin, a factor that helped Antonelli’s surprise Q3 turn while Ferrari, fastest in practice, fell back and failed to match its practice pace in the decisive runs.
- Electronic track‑limit monitoring dominated the weekend, with hundreds of laps deleted across Friday and Saturday and several Q3 attempts wiped or compromised by infringements on multiple corners.
- In parallel MotoGP action, Marc Marquez took wet‑condition pole at Phillip Island, a result that reshuffled the front row and left title leader Jorge Martin down the order for the Australian weekend.