Antonelli controlled the race through a contrasting tyre strategy, while the fight behind him developed late between Verstappen, Lando Norris and Leclerc. A Virtual Safety Car in the closing laps ended any final chance to change the podium order.
Lewis Hamilton recovered to finish fourth ahead of Norris, while Isack Hadjar completed the top six.
Antonelli Leads as Leclerc Jumps to Second
Conditions were warm at COTA, with air temperature at 27°C and track temperature at 38°C before the start.
Antonelli began from pole on the medium tyre, while the two Red Bulls directly behind him started on softs. Ferrari also committed to the soft compound with both cars.
Antonelli launched cleanly and retained the lead into Turn 1.
Leclerc made the strongest start behind him, gaining two positions through the opening sequence to move into second.
Hadjar dropped to fourth, while George Russell ran sixth before receiving a five-second penalty for gaining an advantage by leaving the track at the start.
Verstappen Commits Early to the Soft Tyre
Verstappen became the first of the front-runners to pit on lap 14, fitting another set of soft tyres.
Hamilton stopped one lap later and switched to mediums.
Further back, Oliver Bearman received a 10-second penalty after contact with Pierre Gasly before later retiring from the race.
The different strategies briefly reshuffled the order, with Verstappen moving into the lead during the middle phase before making his second stop.
That returned Antonelli to first place.
From there, the Mercedes driver settled into a controlled race at the front.
Antonelli Controls the Middle Phase
As the strategies converged, Antonelli remained in command.
Franco Colapinto retired on lap 37 after Alpine instructed him to return to the garage, while Hamilton made his final stop several laps later and switched to hard tyres.
He rejoined in sixth and began working his way back towards the group fighting for the podium.
Fernando Alonso also retired during the final phase.
The attention then shifted to Verstappen, Norris and Leclerc, who had closed together behind Antonelli.
Leclerc and Verstappen Reshape the Podium
With 10 laps remaining, Verstappen attacked Norris and moved into second.
Norris lost momentum in the process, allowing Leclerc to follow through and take third.
The order changed again on lap 49.
Leclerc passed Verstappen to move into second, leaving the Red Bull driver under pressure behind.
McLaren considered bringing Norris into the pits after identifying a flat spot on one of his tyres, but Norris reported no significant problem and stayed out.
Hamilton continued closing and passed Norris one lap later to move into fourth.
Late VSC Freezes the Order
With five laps remaining, Valtteri Bottas suffered an engine problem in his Cadillac.
He attempted to return to the pits at reduced speed but eventually stopped on track, triggering a Virtual Safety Car.
That neutralisation effectively settled the final positions.
Antonelli crossed the line first to secure victory, with Leclerc second and Verstappen third.
Hamilton completed a strong recovery to finish fourth, while Norris dropped to fifth.
Hadjar took sixth after starting third, ahead of Oscar Piastri.
Russell finished eighth despite his five-second penalty, with Liam Lawson and Gasly completing the top 10.
Antonelli’s race was built around control rather than recovery.
He kept the lead at the start, managed the tyre offset against the soft-running Red Bulls and retook command once the pit cycles played out.
Behind him, Leclerc emerged strongest from the late podium fight, while Verstappen salvaged third after briefly climbing into second.
At Austin, Antonelli never gave the rest of the field a real opportunity to take the victory away.
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