Kimi Antonelli has taken pole position for the United States Grand Prix — on the very weekend he can clinch his first Formula 1 world title. The Mercedes driver beat Max Verstappen by 0.179 seconds in Austin, with the Dutchman’s Red Bull team-mate Isack Hadjar third.
Kimi Antonelli (Credits: BBC Sport)
Antonelli, just 20 years old, whooped with delight as he secured his first pole since the Belgian Grand Prix in July. “It feels good to be back,” the Italian said after a qualifying session few had predicted he would top.
The pole came as a genuine surprise. Ferrari had topped all three practice sessions, and Verstappen had looked strong through the second part of qualifying. But when it mattered in Q3, Antonelli’s first flying lap was good enough — and nobody could beat it.
Antonelli US pole sets up title showdown
The title arithmetic is tantalisingly simple. Antonelli will become world champion on Sunday if he wins the race in Austin, with Lewis Hamilton finishing lower than fourth and George Russell lower than eighth. Both conditions are already in play: Hamilton qualified fifth and Russell sixth, ahead of the McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
Verstappen, meanwhile, was left ruing a Q3 that never came together. The four-time champion had been fourth quickest in Q2 despite running used tyres, but found his car lacking grip in the final session. “Q3 was not good, Q1, Q2 were nice, but for whatever reason in run one and two just didn’t have a nice balance,” he said. “No mistakes, just not enough grip. But if it’s still a P2, I take it.”
Ferrari fade as McLaren struggle in Austin
Ferrari’s familiar story repeated itself: fastest when it did not count, fading when it did. Charles Leclerc, quickest in second and third practice, ended up 0.232 seconds off pole and pipped Hamilton by just 0.044 seconds. Russell was 0.441 seconds off his team-mate, while the fastest McLaren was 0.768 seconds from pole despite a weekend upgrade — Norris also had his best lap deleted for breaching track limits.
Hadjar, just 0.036 seconds behind Verstappen, underlined his own rising stock with third. The Racing Bulls of Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson took ninth and tenth, though Lawson will drop five places for using too many engine parts.
Antonelli knows the hardest part is still to come. “We got pole so we will try to win tomorrow, but Max has been very quick and Isack did an incredible job, so it is not going to be easy,” he said. “We try to get a good start and hopefully lead into Turn One and try to set the pace, even though it’s going to be very tight.”
Also Read: F1 United States Grand Prix 2026: How to Watch Live, Start Times and Antonelli’s Title Chance
Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
