Antonelli secures US GP pole in title bid

Kimi Antonelli claimed pole position for the 2026 United States Grand Prix, setting the stage for a potential title decider at the Circuit of the Americas ^[1]. The 20-year-old Mercedes driver edged out Max Verstappen by 0.179 seconds, with Isack Hadjar third and Charles Leclerc fourth. Antonelli’s time of 1:34.035 in Q3 was the fastest of the weekend, marking his first pole since the Belgian Grand Prix in July ^[2].

The victory comes at a pivotal moment: Antonelli holds a 102-point lead over George Russell and needs to extend it to 125 points after the race to clinch his first world title ^[2]. To do so, he must win Sunday’s race while Russell finishes outside the top eight and Lewis Hamilton outside the top four. Hamilton qualified fifth, while Russell starts sixth ^[1].

Despite Ferrari’s dominance in practice sessions, both Leclerc and teammate Carlos Sainz faltered in qualifying, with Leclerc 0.232 seconds off pole and Sainz failing to progress beyond Q2 ^[1]. Red Bull’s Verstappen, who had been strong in earlier sessions, struggled with grip in Q3 and finished second, admitting the car lacked balance despite no mistakes.

Antonelli’s engineer, Pete Bonnington, described the result as a surprise, crediting the team’s recent upgrades that had underperformed in Malaysia and Singapore ^[2]. The Mercedes package appears to have finally clicked, with Russell 0.441 seconds off his teammate’s pace ^[1].

Antonelli, who has already secured eight race wins this season, now aims to become the youngest F1 world champion in history. His last pole at Austin came in 2019, when Valtteri Bottas won the race ^[2]. With Verstappen acknowledging the challenge but remaining confident in a top-two finish, the race promises high stakes ^[1].

The United States Grand Prix starts at 20:00 GMT on 25 October, with live coverage on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sport ^[1].