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The FIA has confirmed the provisional starting grid for the 2026 US Grand Prix, with Mercedes star Kimi Antonelli set to start on pole position at the Circuit of the Americas.
Antonelli can wrap up the championship with a victory in Austin on Sunday if other results also go his way, and he ensured he is in the absolute best position to do that with a strong performance in Q3 on Saturday.
To win the title this time around, Antonelli needs to win, but also requires George Russell to finish P9 or lower, and Lewis Hamilton to finish P5 or below. Those drivers line up in P6 and P5, respectively.
Elsewhere at COTA, last year's US Grand Prix race winner Max Verstappen will start alongside Kimi Antonelli on the front row, with his team-mate Isack Hadjar and Charles Leclerc making up row two.
Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris line up in P7 and P8 after a very disappointing weekend in the Lone Star State so far, while Liam Lawson starts ninth, promoted due to a five-place grid penalty to Arvid Lindblad.
Lindblad is one of three drivers serving a grid drop on Sunday, with Franco Colapinto and Gabriel Bortoleto also affected by FIA penalties.
The full provisional starting grid ahead of Sunday's action in Austin, Texas, as revealed by the FIA, is as follows...
| Pos | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull |
| 3 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari |
| 6 | George Russell | Mercedes |
| 7 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren |
| 8 | Lando Norris | McLaren |
| 9 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls |
| 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine |
| 11 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi |
| 12 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin |
| 13 | Oliver Bearman | Haas |
| 14 | Arvid Lindblad * | Racing Bulls |
| 15 | Esteban Ocon | Haas |
| 16 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin |
| 17 | Carlos Sainz | Williams |
| 18 | Alex Albon | Williams |
| 19 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac |
| 20 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac |
| 21 | Franco Colapinto ** | Alpine |
| 22 | Gabriel Bortoleto *** | Audi |
* Arvid Lindblad is serving a five-place grid penalty after taking his sixth internal combustion engine (ICE)
** Franco Colapinto is serving a 10-place grid penalty after taking his fourth Control Electronics Unit (PU-CE).
*** Gabriel Bortoleto is serving an 80-place grid penalty after taking multiple new components in his power unit.