{
  "id": 15816671,
  "title": "11 of 13 COTA Winners Started on the Front Row. Antonelli’s Title Shot Starts Saturday.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/11-of-13-cota-winners-started-on-the-front-row-antonellis-title-shot",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-20T23:11:09.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/11-13-cota-winners-started-180000800.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Formula 1 races at the Circuit of the Americas have seen 11 out of 13 winners start on the front row of the grid. Six of these winners claimed pole position, while five started in second place. Only two drivers in COTA's history have won from any other grid position. This statistic takes on greater significance in the 2026 season, as Kimi Antonelli needs to secure a win in Austin to clinch the championship, as he is currently trailing George Russell by 102 points. COTA has hosted the race annually since 2012, with the exception of 2020 due to the pandemic. All winners since then have started on the front row, amounting to an 84.6% success rate. The steep uphill climb to Turn 1 has often seen second-place starters challenge for the lead, with examples including Kimi Räikkönen in 2018 and Max Verstappen in 2022. Verstappen and Leclerc both won from outside the top two in 2023 and 2024, respectively, during sprint weekends. Antonelli currently holds a 340-point lead over Russell, who has 238 points. To win the title, Antonelli must win the race while Russell finishes ninth or lower and Hamilton fifth or lower. However, a second-place finish is not sufficient for Antonelli. Given Antonelli's history of converting front-row starts into wins, a pole position in Saturday's qualifying could secure his title shot. Yet, the race to the title depends on Verstappen's performance, as he has dominated COTA in recent years. The small sample size of 13 COTA races and potential changes in car performance with new power units and aerodynamics should be considered, along with the fact that Antonelli's overall championship hopes hinge on both Russell and Hamilton having poor races.",
  "summary": "Photo: Curt Smith from Bellevue, WA, USA via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0) Eleven of 13 Formula 1 races at COTA were won from the front row. Here's why that makes Saturday's qualifying the first step in Kimi Antonelli's Austin title shot. The post 11 of 13 COTA Winners Started on the Front Row. Antonelli’s Title Shot Starts Saturday. appeared first on Backfire Racing.",
  "key_points": [
    "11 of 13 COTA winners started on front row",
    "Kimi Antonelli needs COTA win to clinch title",
    "Antonelli trails Russell by 102 points"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}