Overview
- Kimi Antonelli secured pole position at the United States Grand Prix in Austin on Saturday with a 1:34.035 lap that put him ahead of Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar.
- Antonelli can seal the championship at Austin if he wins the race and his nearest rivals score low enough under the published scenarios, specifically with George Russell finishing no better than ninth and Lewis Hamilton no better than fifth.
- Race weekend timing in Austin was disrupted by extensive track‑limit enforcement that used electronic detection to delete dozens of lap times and forced teams to change setup runs and strategy.
- Mercedes and Ferrari showed mixed form in practice and final runs, with Lewis Hamilton posting the fastest legal lap in the last practice but Ferrari fading in Q3 as Antonelli and Red Bull produced the top qualifying times.
- At Phillip Island Marc Márquez converted pole into a sprint victory on Saturday while several riders did not travel or later withdrew and two riders received eight‑second penalties that affected sprint placings.