The 18th round of the F1 2026 season will take place at this weekend’s United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas.

Lewis Hamilton magic or misery, Max Verstappen glory as Red Bull take on Mercedes for the win…

Lewis Hamilton on COTA podium for the first time since 2022

Lewis Hamilton will not add to his five Circuit of the Americas victories – 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 – but he will return to the podium for the first time since 2022.

Hamilton last won in Texas in 2017, his fourth successive win at the track with Mercedes. But that’s where his streak ended.

While Max Verstappen emerged as the dominant driver around the 5.5km circuit, Hamilton’s teammate Charles Leclerc also added his name to the winners’ list in the five races since F1 returned to America after Covid.

Hamilton had to settle for two runner-up results behind Verstappen in 2021 and 2022. 2022 being his last champagne celebration in Austin.

This year, he’ll be back on the podium.

Although the Ferrari driver is in the midst of a bit of a slump by his standards, bringing his frustrations to the fore through radio messages and testy post-race comments, Ferrari could benefit from A) Mercedes’ stunted upgrades and B) Red Bull’s difficulties with bumps.

It means Hamilton will be on the podium at the United States Grand Prix.

Oh, and Antonelli will not win the world title in Austin.

More from the United States Grand Prix

Sorry Kimi…

By Thomas Maher

Off the back of a very successful triple-header, I suspect this weekend will see a barnstormer of a battle between Mercedes and Red Bull.

The RB22’s rapid improvements suggest it’s a car capable of winning on multiple track types now, while Mercedes have never seemed overly concerned by the performance of the upgrade package that has muddied the picture recently.

If the W17 potential is back to where it has been for most of this season, maybe we’ll get that thriller battle between Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen that has never quite happened so far this season. Who’s my money on if that happens?

Sorry Kimi, even if you’re the Champion in Waiting, I reckon Verstappen is still untouchable in any 50/50 type scenarios.

The fading Ferraris

By Mat Coch

The recent uptick in performance from Ferrari has been encouraging, but I don’t expect it to be quite so prevalent this weekend.

Ferrari’s power unit deficit will be exposed in the United States, especially with its long back straight, with Mercedes and RBPT likely to have the edge.

Add in the mix of medium- to high-speed corners and it’s a venue that on paper plays to the strengths of others, including McLaren.

While there’s nothing obvious to suggest that either Mercedes or Red Bull will have a significant edge, both the W17 and RB22 have proved useful machines across an array of circuits (even if this is perhaps the final test to confirm Red Bull’s progress).

Blend that together; a circuit where its rivals should be strong and a configuration that is expected to expose Ferrari’s weaknesses, and it seems difficult to imagine either Lewis Hamilton or Charles Leclerc being as competitive in the United States GP as it has been in recent races.

And that’s before we take into account whatever impact McLaren’s upgrades will have (not that Andrea Stella has spoken especially enthusiastically about them).

The title battle continues as the Max Verstappen show rolls on

By Henry Valantine

After back-to-back wins, Max Verstappen looks the man to beat, finally getting one on the board in Singapore to boot (which this writer… didn’t predict. Oops).

Austin has been a Verstappen stronghold in recent years too, with four wins in the last five showing he’s not exactly a slouch around the Circuit of The Americas.

The RB22 has finally come into its own under his driving and, after seemingly everything went wrong for Isack Hadjar last weekend, I’ll back him to make it on the podium again after he did so in Baku.

Unless Mercedes’ upgrade clicks into gear, maybe even if it does, Verstappen and Red Bull look the formidable combination to which we have become so accustomed over time.

Let’s throw a bonus in there and say, as for who will join the Red Bulls on the podium, I’ll go for George Russell to split them.

He’ll want to keep his mathematical chances going for as long as possible, and if it’s a rare off weekend for Kimi Antonelli, Russell simply has to capitalise in Austin.

Max Verstappen to continue newfound dominance in Texas

By Sam Hall

There have been many reasons – excuses, some might dare to suggest – offered by Mercedes for why it appears to have fallen behind Red Bull and, more specifically, Max Verstappen in recent weeks.

However, other than to trial elements for the 2027 season, such is the team’s lead in the Constructors’ standings, Mercedes has no real reason to spend vital wind tunnel and CFD time on the current car.

With this in mind, I fully expect Verstappen to come out on top at the Circuit of the Americas. This would push Kimi Antonelli’s championship tilt to Mexico, an event that always comes with a party atmosphere.

With stable weather and forecast and the track being one of the more conventional examples on the schedule, I don’t expect to see any shock points scorers here – reliability problems aside.

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