Kimi Antonelli could fulfil his dream of becoming Formula 1 world champion for the first time at the 2026 United States Grand Prix in Austin, potentially becoming the youngest driver in history to win the championship. As the season enters its decisive phase, the Mercedes driver has an opportunity to join a select group of champions who have secured their titles on American soil.
The Italian’s chances of celebrating at the Circuit of The Americas this weekend depend on a specific combination of results. The championship could be decided with five or six races still to run, depending on the possible cancellation of the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix and whether Imola is introduced as a replacement venue. While the outcome remains uncertain, the possibility raises an intriguing historical question: which drivers have previously clinched the Formula 1 World Championship at the United States Grand Prix?
United States Grand Prix history: Why the East and West races matter
Before examining the champions, an important distinction is necessary. These statistics refer exclusively to the United States Grand Prix and the United States Grand Prix West, rather than every Formula 1 race held in North America.
For example, the two Caesars Palace Grands Prix in the early 1980s saw Nelson Piquet and Keke Rosberg secure their respective world championships. Max Verstappen also clinched the title at the Las Vegas Grand Prix in 2024. However, those achievements fall outside the specific history of the United States Grand Prix.
Other American circuits, including Indianapolis, Dallas, Detroit and Miami, have hosted separate events under their own Grand Prix names without producing a Drivers’ Championship title-deciding race.
During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Long Beach hosted the United States Grand Prix West. That designation distinguished the Californian event from the race at Watkins Glen, which was known as the United States Grand Prix East during the same period.
With the disappearance of the eastern event, the distinction between the two races eventually ceased to apply, and the western race was subsequently recognised simply as the United States Grand Prix.
Jack Brabham becomes the first champion crowned at the United States GP
The first American championship celebration came in 1959, when Jack Brabham secured his maiden Formula 1 world title at the United States Grand Prix. The Australian achieved the feat despite the race being won by his Cooper team-mate Bruce McLaren, who crossed the finish line first at just 22 years old.
Bruce McLaren’s victory made him the youngest Grand Prix winner in Formula 1 history at the time, a record that stood until Fernando Alonso surpassed it in 2003.
Jack Brabham and Bruce McLaren would later enjoy further success as constructors. Brabham secured the Constructors’ Championship in 1966, while McLaren achieved the same distinction in 1974, with both titles decided at the United States Grand Prix.
Jochen Rindt becomes Formula 1’s only posthumous world champion in 1970
One of the most extraordinary and tragic moments in Formula 1 history unfolded at Watkins Glen in 1970. Emerson Fittipaldi secured the first Grand Prix victory of his career, while Ferrari driver Jacky Ickx finished fourth.
That result meant Jacky Ickx could no longer overtake Jochen Rindt in the championship standings, despite the Austrian having died a month earlier during the Italian Grand Prix weekend at Monza.
Jochen Rindt was therefore confirmed as the 1970 Formula 1 World Champion after his death. He remains the first and only driver to have won the World Championship posthumously.
It was a unique and deeply poignant occasion, demonstrating how a championship could be decided even without the eventual champion participating in the race.
Emerson Fittipaldi and Niki Lauda clinch titles at Watkins Glen
The 1970s produced further world championship celebrations on American soil. In 1974, Emerson Fittipaldi claimed his second and final Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship, while McLaren also secured the Constructors’ Championship.
Three years later, Niki Lauda returned to the top of Formula 1 with Ferrari. The Austrian secured his second Drivers’ Championship at the 1977 United States Grand Prix, just over a year after his devastating accident at the Nürburgring.
Niki Lauda’s achievement was particularly significant given the circumstances of his comeback. Having survived one of the most serious accidents in Formula 1 history, the Ferrari driver had returned to competition and reclaimed the world title.
These results established Watkins Glen as an important venue in the history of the Drivers’ Championship, with several memorable title outcomes taking place at the American circuit.
Lewis Hamilton ends the long wait with two F1 titles at Austin
In the decades that followed, the United States Grand Prix stopped producing world champions. The event was sometimes scheduled early in the Formula 1 season, when the championship could not yet be decided, and was also absent from the calendar for extended periods.
Lewis Hamilton finally ended that long sequence in 2015. Driving for Mercedes, the British driver secured his third Formula 1 World Championship by winning the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of The Americas.
Four years later, Lewis Hamilton repeated the achievement in Austin. On that occasion, his second-place finish behind Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas was sufficient to secure his sixth world title.
These two victories in the championship battle made Lewis Hamilton the only driver to have clinched the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship twice at the United States Grand Prix.
Could Kimi Antonelli become the next F1 champion crowned in Austin?
The history of the United States Grand Prix therefore contains six Drivers’ Championship-deciding occasions involving five different drivers: Jack Brabham in 1959, Jochen Rindt in 1970, Emerson Fittipaldi in 1974, Niki Lauda in 1977, and Lewis Hamilton in both 2015 and 2019.
Now, Kimi Antonelli has the opportunity to add his name to that distinguished group. The Italian’s impressive 2026 campaign has brought him within reach of a first world championship, although the exact circumstances required for him to secure the title in Austin remain dependent on the results of his rivals and the final composition of the calendar.
Should the necessary conditions be met, the Mercedes driver would not only realise his ambition of becoming Formula 1 world champion but would also establish a new record as the youngest driver ever to achieve that distinction.
For a circuit that has already witnessed two of Lewis Hamilton’s championship celebrations, the 2026 United States Grand Prix could provide another historic moment in Formula 1’s long relationship with American motorsport.
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