Formula 1 heads to Austin with the title on the line. File image. Photo: Talon-Kai Honeyman / Unsplash (royalty-free)
Motorsport news October 20: three championship weekends start Thursday night, and one of them could end a title fight. Below is what is confirmed this Tuesday, with schedules and standings checked against Formula 1, NASCAR, MotoGP and FIA WEC official sources.
The storyline that matters: Antonelli can clinch the F1 title in Austin
First, Kimi Antonelli arrives at the Circuit of The Americas with 340 points, 102 clear of Mercedes team-mate George Russell (238). Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton is third on 229, Max Verstappen fourth on 221 and Charles Leclerc fifth on 215, per the official F1 standings. Because six rounds remain and no sprints are left, 150 points are still available.
However, the clinch math is narrow. According to Formula 1, Antonelli must win Sunday’s race, with Russell finishing ninth or lower and Hamilton fifth or lower. Otherwise, if any part of that fails, the next chance comes in Mexico City on Nov. 1.
Meanwhile, the obstacle is Verstappen, who won the last two Grands Prix in Malaysia and Singapore plus the Singapore Sprint. McLaren have confirmed more upgrades for Austin. By contrast, Mercedes have not confirmed new parts and are still learning the package they brought to Malaysia. For more, we broke down every route to the title, and the records at stake, in How Kimi Antonelli Can Be Crowned F1 World Champion in Austin.
Motorsport news October 20: race and session schedule
| Series / event | Session | Local date | Local time | Eastern time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 – United States GP (COTA) | Practice 1 | Fri, Oct. 23 | 12:30 p.m. CDT | 1:30 p.m. |
| F1 | Practice 2 | Fri, Oct. 23 | 4:00 p.m. CDT | 5:00 p.m. |
| F1 | Practice 3 | Sat, Oct. 24 | 12:30 p.m. CDT | 1:30 p.m. |
| F1 | Qualifying | Sat, Oct. 24 | 4:00 p.m. CDT | 5:00 p.m. |
| F1 | Grand Prix | Sun, Oct. 25 | 3:00 p.m. CDT | 4:00 p.m. |
| NASCAR Cup – YellaWood 500 (Talladega) | Race, 188 laps (NBC) | Sun, Oct. 25 | 1:00 p.m. CDT | 2:00 p.m. |
| MotoGP – Australian GP (Phillip Island) | Practice 1 | Fri, Oct. 23 | 10:45 a.m. AEDT | 7:45 p.m. Thu, Oct. 22 |
| MotoGP | Practice | Fri, Oct. 23 | 3:00 p.m. AEDT | Midnight Thu/Fri |
| MotoGP | Qualifying | Sat, Oct. 24 | 10:50 a.m. AEDT | 7:50 p.m. Fri, Oct. 23 |
| MotoGP | Tissot Sprint | Sat, Oct. 24 | 3:00 p.m. AEDT | Midnight Fri/Sat |
| MotoGP | Grand Prix | Sun, Oct. 25 | 2:00 p.m. AEDT | 11:00 p.m. Sat, Oct. 24 |
In addition, F1 Academy supports the Austin weekend, with qualifying Thursday and races Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Finally, the FIA WEC season ends with the 6 Hours of Monza on Nov. 8, per FIA WEC.
NASCAR: seven drivers, 56 points, three races
Kyle Larson still leads the Chase in spite of his Phoenix crash. However, he leads only by five points over Christopher Bell. Further back, Chase Briscoe is 24 back, Denny Hamlin 31, Ryan Blaney 40, Joey Logano 44 and Phoenix winner Tyler Reddick 56, per NASCAR.com. Next comes Talladega. For context, our YellaWood 500 preview explains why a superspeedway can swing those gaps by 70 points or more.
October 20 motorsport news: driver changes
- MotoGP, Gresini: First of all, WorldSBK race winner Iker Lecuona replaces Fermín Aldeguer at Phillip Island while Aldeguer recovers from surgery on his right hand, MotoGP confirmed.
- MotoGP, Prima Pramac Yamaha: Unfortunately, Toprak Razgatlıoğlu needed surgery after his Indonesian GP crash and will miss the rest of the season. As a result, Yamaha test rider Augusto Fernández takes the bike.
- MotoGP, Honda: Joan Mir is ill. For now, Honda had not confirmed by Monday whether he will race in Australia.
- MotoGP, farewell: Also, Jack Miller is set to end his MotoGP career at his home Grand Prix.
- F1, 2027: Now that Haas have confirmed Rafael Câmara, Racing Bulls are the only team yet to make an official 2027 driver announcement.
Penalties and stewards’ decisions
So far, we have found no new penalty decisions posted by F1, NASCAR, MotoGP or the FIA WEC since Monday’s briefing. Still, these sanctions continue to shape the standings:
- WEC, Barcelona: In particular, the #8 Toyota served a five-second penalty for a start-procedure infringement and still won anyway. Meanwhile, the #20 BMW was penalised for a tyre-pressure infraction and failed to score for a third straight race.
- NASCAR, Phoenix: Similarly, pit-road speeding penalties cost Denny Hamlin a lap and dropped Bubba Wallace from control of the final stage to 17th. Full detail in our Phoenix race report.
Official announcements: motorsport news, October 20
- Haas: A “Godzilla Minus Zero” livery, from the team’s season-long TOHO partnership, runs in Austin for Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon, F1 reported.
- NASCAR: Furthermore, Reddick’s Phoenix win clinched the 2026 Cup Series manufacturers’ championship for Toyota.
- MotoGP: Notably, this weekend is the last Australian GP at Phillip Island before the race moves to Adelaide in 2027, with Red Bull as title sponsor.
- FIA WEC: Above all, Toyota clinched the Hypercar manufacturers’ title in Barcelona. As a result, only the #8 and #7 Toyota crews can win the drivers’ title at Monza. Read our Barcelona analysis.
- F1 calendar: Lastly, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has said Qatar (Nov. 29) and Abu Dhabi (Dec. 6) are going ahead, with Imola held as a contingency.
MotoGP: two points before the final Phillip Island race
At the same time, Jorge Martín (Aprilia) leads Marc Márquez (Ducati) by two points with five rounds left, and Marco Bezzecchi, by comparison, is 46 back after winning in Indonesia, according to MotoGP.com. In addition, Máximo Quiles has already wrapped up the Moto3 title.
That wraps up motorsport news October 20. If you missed yesterday, then catch up with Monday’s daily motorsport briefing.
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