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Kimi Antonelli strengthened his championship bid with a dominant victory in Austin, while several other drivers delivered standout performances across the field at the Circuit of The Americas. Formula 1’s five-judge panel evaluates each driver out of 10 after every Grand Prix based entirely on their weekend performance, independent of their machinery.
Top Performers in Austin
Kimi Antonelli delivered a championship-caliber performance by securing both pole position and the race win in the United States. Despite challenges from Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc, the young Italian driver proved unstoppable and took another major step toward the 2026 title.
Liam Lawson bolstered his case for a 2027 seat with another strong Q3 appearance and a points finish. Lawson has now scored points in 13 of the 17 Grands Prix he has completed this season, demonstrating growing confidence and maturity.
Charles Leclerc rebounded from a difficult qualifying session where track conditions shifted against Ferrari, leaving him fourth. He charged past Isack Hadjar at the start and overtook Verstappen through the esses to finish as Antonelli’s closest challenger.
Max Verstappen qualified on the front row following recent victories in Malaysia and Singapore, but faced a challenging race day marked by a difficult start, questioned tyre strategies, and technical issues. He persevered to secure a podium finish.
Midfield Battles and Hard Fights
Pierre Gasly maximized his Alpine machinery by threatening Q3 in qualifying and fighting for points on race day. He secured a well-earned point despite car damage sustained in a battle with Haas driver Ollie Bearman.
Lewis Hamilton started fourth behind his teammate Leclerc but lost ground initially after lining up as the only driver on used tyres. Hampered by an unfavorable car balance, he mounted a competitive final stint to finish fourth.
Isack Hadjar starred in qualifying with a third-place effort, finishing just behind teammate Verstappen. However, a sluggish start and an incorrect engine map following a pit stop derailed his race pace, resulting in a sixth-place finish.
Nico Hulkenberg delivered another solid performance for Audi, finishing 11th after a spirited midfield battle that kept him just outside the points.
Lando Norris recovered from an eighth-place grid spot following a track limits penalty to finish a respectable fifth, comfortably ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri as both utilized a one-stop strategy.
Challenging Weekends for Alonso and Lindblad
Fernando Alonso made a promising start from 15th on the grid, but contact with Williams driver Alex Albon forced a pit stop for a new front wing that derailed his race. Despite the setback, he noted performance positives from the weekend.
Arvid Lindblad faced an uphill battle after an engine-related grid penalty dropped him from ninth to 14th. Following early contact with Carlos Sainz, he fought back into the thick of the midfield before ultimately finishing 12th.
Esteban Ocon and Gabriel Bortoleto just missed out on the Power Rankings leaderboard, finishing 14th and 13th respectively following their own respective battles and penalties.
