Antonelli takes US Grand Prix pole with first world title in reach

AI-generated illustration.

Kimi Antonelli secured pole position for the United States Grand Prix on Saturday, putting himself at the front of the field for a race in which he could clinch his first Formula 1 world championship. The Mercedes driver beat Max Verstappen by 0.179 seconds in Austin.

Antonelli set a time of 1 minute 34.035 seconds on his opening run in the final qualifying session. That remained unbeaten as gusting winds complicated the last attempts, with neither the Italian nor Verstappen improving on their first efforts. Isack Hadjar qualified third in the second Red Bull.

Ferrari had led all three practice sessions but could not carry that advantage through to the decisive shoot-out. Charles Leclerc qualified fourth and Lewis Hamilton fifth, while George Russell was sixth in the other Mercedes. Leclerc had been fastest in the second part of qualifying.

Oscar Piastri finished seventh ahead of McLaren team-mate Lando Norris, whose faster final lap was deleted for exceeding track limits. Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson completed the qualifying top 10, although Lindblad faces a five-place grid penalty for exceeding his permitted engine allocation.

The result gives Antonelli his seventh pole of the season. It also leaves the championship outcome dependent on where two of the drivers behind him finish, rather than on his own result alone.

Antonelli must win on Sunday to have a chance of securing the title in Texas. Hamilton would also need to finish fifth or lower and Russell ninth or lower. The United States Grand Prix is scheduled to start at 20:00 GMT on Sunday, 25 October.

Sources

• Formula 1: United States Grand Prix qualifying report (2026-10-24)
• Sky Sports: Antonelli takes US Grand Prix pole