Andrea Kimi Antonelli could win the world championship this weekend in only his second year as a Formula 1 driver. Here are the talking points for the United States Grand Prix.

Will Antonelli clinch the title?

The odds are stacked heavily in favour of Mercedes’ new star clinching the title at some point, but most likely not this weekend. That said it is not beyond the realm of possibility team mate George Russell could have another poor weekend and come away point-less while Antonelli takes his ninth victory of the season, putting him over the line.

The title has been won at this track twice before, and both times it was by a Mercedes druver: Lewis Hamilton won the championship there in 2015 and 2019. But regardless of whether Antonelli does clinch the title this weekend it is clearly a matter of ‘when’ not ‘if’.

Verstappen dominating again?

The driver most likely to delay Antonelli’s championship celebrations is not his team mate but Max Verstappen. Red Bull have made a breakthrough with their RB22 and as well as winning the last two grands prix plus a sprint race, Verstappen could have taken victory in Baku as well with better luck.

He arrives at this weekend’s race looking like the driver to beat, with every indication he could dominate the final rounds of the season, setting himself up for a shot at the title next year.

McLaren’s driver headache

McLaren arrive in Austin in a curiously similar situation to last year: a clash between their drivers at the previous race in Singapore has created an obvious tension. What’s more, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri’s collision during the sprint race in Singapore was more costly than the one they had in the grand prix 12 months ago.

Norris’s radio messages during the grand prix gave the distinction impression he was looking for ways to make amends, having eventually accepted he was the one at fault for their collision. But above all the team will be anxious to avoid a repeat of the first-corner collision which wrecked their sprint race at the circuit 12 months ago. Particularly as a resurgent Red Bull are poised to relegate the reigning constructors’ champions to fourth place in the standings.

US teams’ driver decisions

Of the two teams competing in their home event this weekend, one has settled its driver plans for 2027. Haas has announced Rafael Camara as the replacement for Esteban Ocon, whose Formula 1 future is in serious doubt as few likely alternatives remain for next year.

Could Cadillac be one of them? F1’s new American team is yet to confirm its plans for next year. However its hopes IndyCar star Colton Herta would take Formula 2 by storm and make himself an obvious candidate for promotion have been dashed: he lies 19th in the standings, 181 points behind fellow rookie and championship leader Camara.

Are Colapinto’s die-hards paying attention?

Last week Franco Colapinto spoke out in criticism of the element of his fanbase which has sent vile abuse to his rival drivers, team members and FIA officials since he made his F1 debut this year. The Alpine driver told those attacking others in his name that they are not helping his cause in F1.

Will they take his words on board? We’ll get an indication the next time he is involved in any kind of incident on-track – however slight it may be.

Are you going to the United States Grand Prix?

If you’re heading to USA for this weekend’s race, we want to hear from you:

Who do you think will be the team to beat in the United States Grand Prix? Have your say below.

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