Carlos Sainz’s promising United States GP weekend ended in disappointment after a costly collision with Kimi Antonelli during the main event; just a day after Sainz starred with a podium in the sprint. The incident occurred at Turns 15 and 16 on lap 16, when Sainz tried to lunge to the apex of the tight left-hander. Antonelli, taking his normal racing line, was spun into the gravel as Sainz’s front wing was destroyed in the contact.
After the crash, Sainz retired from the race while Antonelli managed to continue, albeit with damage. The stewards announced an investigation into the incident post-race, with Antonelli still running at the time of reporting.
The main race also saw unrelated incidents: Alex Albon and Gabriel Bortoleto got away without penalty for a lap one spin, and Esteban Ocon was cleared by stewards of a possible jump start.
At lap 11, Max Verstappen continued to lead, followed by Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton, and Oscar Piastri in fifth.
Overall, Sainz’s fortunes reversed dramatically between the sprint and the grand prix—highlighting the unpredictability and drama of F1 competition at Circuit of the Americas.
