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World Champion's drive for Kimi Antonelli | NO PACE for Red Bull-Verstappen | 2026 United States GP
· 34 min · S2026 E51
Episode World Champion's drive for Kimi Antonelli | NO PACE for Red Bull-Verstappen | 2026 United States GP
2026 United States Grand Prix Review: Antonelli Dominates at COTA, Is He a Deserving F1 Champion?
Soumil Arora & Kunal Shah discuss the race that was...or wasn't at the Circuit of the Americas for the 2026 United States Grand Prix. Of course, Andrea Kimi Antonelli is on the brink of creating history...but was there more to the race than that? Was the 2026 US Grand Prix as boring as a chess match?
Soumil and Kunal break down Kimi Antonelli's commanding Mercedes win at the Circuit of the Americas.
They cover Leclerc's lap-one move on Verstappen, Red Bull's start problems, tire strategy, and why Antonelli is on the verge of becoming F1 champion at 20. They also answer questions from the live audience.
In this episode:
- Why the race felt so processional, and why Magnus Carlsen's "F1 is boring" take came up
- Antonelli's flawless drive, the one-stop strategy and Mercedes' operating window
- Leclerc's overtake on Verstappen, and why Red Bull struggles with race starts
- McLaren, Norris and Piastri: strategy and struggles at a low-grip track
- George Russell finishing 55 seconds behind Antonelli
- Whether Antonelli is lucky or just fast, and what makes a deserving world champion
- Red Bull's recovery after the Horner and Marko exits
- Audience questions on Mercedes, "generational" drivers, Alonso vs. Albon and the Cadillac seat
- Preview of the Mexico City Grand Prix
Timestamps
0:00 Intro: the USGP review and the chess comparison
1:27 Antonelli's near-perfect win
4:19 Lap one: Leclerc vs. Verstappen
6:15 Why Red Bull can't nail the start
9:00 McLaren, Norris and Piastri
10:18 George Russell's tough weekend
12:27 Is Antonelli a deserving champion?
16:07 Red Bull's remarkable turnaround
19:58 Fan questions: Mercedes and fairness
21:04 Is this a grid full of generational drivers?
21:47 Cadillac, Valtteri Bottas and Colton Herta
25:43 Piastri, hype and the "generational" label
28:31 Alonso on the lower third of the grid
31:02 Mexico preview and Kimi's championship T-shirt
32:00 Wrap-up
Subscribe to the Inside Line F1 Podcast for more race reviews, previews and F1 analysis.#F1 #Formula1 #USGP #USGrandPrix #KimiAntonelli #Mercedes #Verstappen #Leclerc #RedBull #InsideLineF1 #F1Podcast #F1 #USAGP
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