As Kimi Antonelli secured an emphatic victory at the Formula One United States Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon in Austin, he received the winner’s prize from none other than Texas Senator Ted Cruz.
However, the crowd in Austin was not particularly happy to see Cruz alongside the three podium finishers of the race at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas. Starting from when the Senator entered the podium, to handing over the prize to Antonelli, Ted Cruz was booed all along by the audience.
However, just as Kimi Antonelli lifted the trophy in celebration, the booing turned into cheers.
Here’s the video:
Antonelli, driving the Mercedes No. 12, finished at the pole position with a time of 1:35:16.650. He was followed by Charles Lecrec of Ferrari and Max Verstappen of Red Bull on the podium.
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Ted Cruz is not up for reelection till the 2028 presidential elections. Nonetheless, the Senator getting booed at the Austin race doesn’t look good for Texas Republicans ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Sophie Cunningham flags off Austin Grand Prix
The Austin Grand Prix had an unexpected guest to flag off Sunday’s race: Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham. Cunningham, who is from Missouri, was in attendance at the race and made two appearances at the beginning and at the end of the race.
Besides Cunningham and Cruz, the Formula One race also saw the attendance of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey and podcaster Joe Rogan.
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Kimi Antonelli edges closer towards F1 championship
The win in Austin on Sunday placed Kimi Antonelli remarkably close to an F1 championship, even though five races remain. With Sunday’s win, he extended his lead over teammate George Russell of Great Britain to 123 points. Unless Russell wins the Mexico Grand Prix coming up next, the championship will go to Antonelli.
“I’m aware (securing the championship) is close, but the mindset doesn’t change,” Antonelli said after the race. “I want to finish the season on a high, to go into 2027 with high hopes.”
“It was a perfect way to end the weekend, it was an incredible team effort, especially from strategy to believe in me and go for one stop,” he added.
The Mexico Grand Prix is on Sunday. November 1, at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City.