Kimi Antonelli claims US GP pole ahead of potential F1 title coronation

Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli secured pole position at the United States Grand Prix on the weekend he could become Formula 1 world champion.

Runaway championship leader Antonelli beat Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to pole by 0.179 seconds in a thrilling qualifying session at the Circuit of the Americas. 

Champion-elect Antonelli has a mathematical chance of sealing his first world title in Sunday’s race and become the youngest-ever F1 world champion in the process. 

For that to happen, the 20-year-old Italian must win with Mercedes team-mate George Russell finishing ninth or lower, with Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton fifth. 

F1 US Grand Prix: Full qualifying results

"We got pole, so we will try to win tomorrow," Antonelli said after taking his seventh pole of an incredible 2026 season. 

"Max has been very quick and Isack did an incredible job, so it won't be easy. We will try to get a good start and hopefully we lead into Turn 1, then set the pace, even though it will be very tight.

"Very happy with qualifying. Q3 was very tough with the wind. Very gusty and unpredictable but happy to put it on pole."

Isack Hadjar took third in the second Red Bull, ahead of the Ferrari pair of Charles Leclerc and Hamilton in fourth and fifth. 

Ferrari looked the team to beat heading into qualifying after topping all three practice sessions, but the Scuderia’s pace vanished when it mattered, with Leclerc and Hamilton ending up over two tenths adrift. 

Russell could only place his Mercedes sixth, ahead of the McLaren’s of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, who had his best lap time deleted for a track limits breach. 

Arvid Lindblad was ninth quickest but will drop five places for changing engine components in his Racing Bulls, while team-mate Liam Lawson opted against setting a lap time as he competed the top-10. 

Pierre Gasly was 11th fastest as he missed out on a spot in Q3 for Alpine, ahead of the Audi duo of Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto. 

Franco Colapinto was 14th ahead of Fernando Alonso, who dragged his Aston Martin into the second part of qualifying. 

Ollie Bearman and Esteban Ocon ended up 16th and 17th for Haas at the team’s home race, ahead of Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin and the struggling Williams pair of Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon in 19th and 20th. 

The Cadillacs were slowest of all on home soil as Sergio Perez once again outqualified Valtteri Bottas to take 21st. 

However, Bortoleto will start Sunday’s race from the very back of the grid due to taking a host of engine component changes in his Audi, trigging a massive 60-place penalty. 

Colapinto will also have to serve a 10-place grid penalty and will drop to 21st for Sunday’s 56-lap race, which gets underway at 8pm UK time.