Mercedes driver analyzes rival at Circuit of the Americas.
Kimi Antonelli spent part of his Saturday evening in Austin studying the rival he is trying to beat. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Mercedes driver opened his laptop at a restaurant in Texas and went looking for one thing: how Max Verstappen has started at the Circuit of the Americas in recent years.
The Italian newspaper reported that Antonelli’s words were simple: “Let’s see how Max has started here in recent years.” He then watched Verstappen’s launches countless times, trying to work out how to avoid being overtaken straight away by the Dutchman’s aggression.
Antonelli Turns a Saturday Night Into a Study Session
It is a small scene, but it says a lot about how the young driver prepares. Rather than relaxing after a day at the track, Antonelli chose to go through footage of one of the sport’s most feared starters. La Gazzetta dello Sport presents the episode as an example of the teenager-turned-contender following the example of one of his great role models in Formula 1.
There is a clear logic to the approach. Verstappen’s reputation for ruthless opening laps is well established, and any driver lining up near him knows the first seconds of a race can decide who controls the afternoon. By studying how Verstappen has handled the run to the first corner in Austin in recent seasons, Antonelli was looking for patterns he could prepare for.
Why the Start Matters So Much at the Circuit of the Americas
The Circuit of the Americas rewards a good launch. The track has 20 corners and an uphill approach to Turn 1 that funnels the whole field into one tight spot within seconds of the lights going out. Anyone who gets a poor start can lose several positions before the first lap is over.
The long back straight does offer a major overtaking opportunity later in the race. But track position gained or lost at the start still shapes tyre strategy and the pace a driver can show over 56 laps of the 5.513-kilometre circuit. For a driver chasing a result as big as a world title, avoiding a bad first corner is as valuable as any late move.
Austin has produced different winners in recent years. Verstappen won in 2023, Charles Leclerc took the 2024 race, and Verstappen won again in 2025. Leclerc still holds the race lap record, set in 2019, since the circuit first hosted Formula 1 in 2012. The race started at 3pm local time on Sunday.
Antonelli Arrives in Texas With the Championship in Sight
The stakes explain the preparation. Antonelli arrived in Austin as the championship leader, ahead of Mercedes teammate George Russell by 102 points, with a first mathematical chance to secure the 2026 drivers’ title. Had he done so, the 20-year-old would have become the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history.
The scenario was demanding. Antonelli needed to win the race, Russell had to finish ninth or lower, and Lewis Hamilton, third in the standings, had to finish no higher than fifth. Antonelli went into the weekend with eight Grand Prix wins this season against three for Russell, a record that shows how consistently he has been at the front.
His form has been strong since a frustrating weekend at Silverstone, which he followed with seven podiums in eight race weekends. Russell, meanwhile, arrived with problems of his own: an engine failure the week before Singapore forced a power unit change, and the resulting penalty sent him to the back of the grid for that race.
Austin was round 18 of a 23-race calendar and the opening leg of a triple-header with Mexico and Brazil on successive weekends. Without a clinch in Texas, five rounds would remain, so the title fight could still run into the final stretch of the season.
Verstappen Brings Momentum and a Strong Austin Record
Verstappen was the obvious man to study. The Red Bull driver arrived in Texas having won the previous two Grands Prix, in Malaysia and Singapore, and many previews made him the favourite for the race. He also won in Austin in 2025 and has four victories at the Circuit of the Americas in total.
Antonelli knows that form well. He finished second in Malaysia, 2.3 seconds behind Verstappen, and third in Singapore, where Verstappen took his first win at Marina Bay ahead of Charles Leclerc. Antonelli has been a regular on the podium, finishing in the top three in 14 of the 17 races so far, so a clean start was always likely to be where the fight with Verstappen began.
Verstappen’s recent run has been dominant. He won in Malaysia and Singapore from pole position, and the Austin weekend offered him the chance to make it three wins in a row. For Antonelli, any slip at the start could hand him the kind of lead he would then struggle to close.
What the Laptop Moment Says About Antonelli’s Approach
The anecdote fits the picture of a driver who treats preparation as seriously as raw speed. Watching a rival’s starts is a way of turning someone else’s strengths into usable knowledge, and it matches the idea of learning from a role model while preparing to race him.
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The Austin weekend was a conventional format with three practice sessions before qualifying and no Sprint race. That gave drivers more time to refine their approach, but nothing replaces the moment the lights go out. Whatever happens in the championship over the rest of the season, the picture of Antonelli at a restaurant table in Texas, replaying Verstappen’s launches, shows how much he wants to beat the best at their own game.
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