Kimi Antonelli secured pole position for the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, setting a time of 1:34.035 to edge out Max Verstappen by 0.179 seconds. The 20-year-old Mercedes driver claimed his seventh pole of the season and first since the Belgian Grand Prix in July, positioning himself for a potential championship-clinching victory on Sunday.
Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar qualified third, 0.215 seconds behind Antonelli, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton took fourth and fifth, respectively. Antonelli’s Mercedes teammate George Russell qualified sixth, 0.441 seconds off the pace. Ferrari had dominated all three practice sessions, but their pace faded in the decisive Q3 session, with Leclerc and Hamilton both trailing Antonelli by over 0.2 seconds.
Antonelli leads the championship with 340 points, 102 ahead of Russell and 111 clear of Hamilton. A win in Sunday’s race would crown him the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history if Russell finishes ninth or lower and Hamilton fifth or lower. Hamilton’s fifth-place start already meets one condition, while Russell’s sixth-place grid position leaves the door open for Antonelli’s title bid.
The Italian celebrated his pole with a radio message to his team: “It feels good to be back.” Verstappen, who had won the previous two races in Malaysia and Singapore, acknowledged his car lacked grip in Q3 but accepted second place. Hadjar, in his first full season with Red Bull, delivered a strong performance to secure third, just 0.036 seconds behind Verstappen.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris qualified seventh and eighth, though Norris had his best lap time deleted for track limits. Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson rounded out the top ten, though Lindblad will start further back due to a five-place grid penalty. The race at the Circuit of the Americas begins at 20:30 local time on Sunday.
