Jannik Sinner has congratulated fellow Italian Kimi Antonelli after his United States Grand Prix victory, which moves the Mercedes driver one step closer to becoming the youngest Formula One world champion.
Antonelli started from pole position and held off Max Verstappen to win in Austin, but his historic triumph will not be confirmed until next week. For the title to have been decided on Sunday, Lewis Hamilton needed to finish no higher than fifth, but the Ferrari driver took fourth, with team-mate Charles Leclerc and Verstappen completing the podium.
Two Points Needed in Mexico
Antonelli now needs just two points, which he can secure by finishing ninth or higher, at next Sunday's Mexico Grand Prix to be confirmed as the 2026 champion. He celebrated his ninth race victory of the season with his team by the side of the track.
Later, Sinner posted a congratulatory message on Instagram, reposting a reel of Antonelli's celebrations and writing: "Congrats on another win, Kimi [red heart emoji] Fortissimo [Italian flag]."
Close Friendship Between Stars
The two sporting stars have developed a close friendship in recent years, with Sinner often seen on the grid. Antonelli has also watched the world No.1 in action on the tennis courts.
Reflecting on the weekend, Antonelli told Sky Sports: "It was the perfect way to end the weekend. It was an incredible team effort especially from strategy to believe in me and go for one stop because I wasn't sure whether one or two stop was the quickest. But really happy that we made it stick. Today was a really important victory for me, for the team, especially after having a couple of difficult races, being back on top feels very good."
He added: "The best way, the perfect way would be to finish off in style and then just enjoy the rest of the season. I'm very aware that it's very close but the mindset doesn't change. I want to finish the season on a high in order to then go with high hopes into 2027 but we'll first focus and worry about finishing this well and then we'll see."
Constructors' Battle Remains
Four races remain after next Sunday's action in Mexico City, and while Antonelli will almost certainly secure top spot, there is plenty at stake behind him. George Russell appeared set to finish second behind his team-mate, but a difficult few weeks has seen Hamilton, Verstappen and Leclerc close in.
Russell's challenging spell continued in Texas, where a time penalty dropped him to eighth. Despite the threat of losing second place in the standings, he said he is more focused on the team's success than his own results.
He said: "As long as we win the constructors' championship, that's the main thing. Obviously, I'd like to finish best of the rest but P2, P3, P5 is not champion, so it doesn't mean anything."
Russell could slip as far back as fifth, with Hamilton now one point behind, Verstappen six adrift and Leclerc a further three points behind the Dutchman.
