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Kimi Antonelli’s chances of becoming Formula One’s youngest ever world champion in Texas this weekend improved massively after he claimed a surprise pole position for Sunday’s United States Grand Prix. Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton could only qualify fifth and Antonelli’s Mercedes team-mate George Russell was sixth.
Antonelli, who holds a 102-point lead over Russell heading into the race, and a 109-point lead over Hamilton, knows he has to win on Sunday to stand any chance of tying up the championship with five rounds of the season still remaining. The 20-year-old also needs Russell to finish ninth or lower and Hamilton to finish fifth or lower.
But all of those things are still possible after a tricky, windy qualifying session at the Circuit of the Americas that threw up a few surprises.
Ferrari, who had topped every practice session in the build-up to qualifying, were the big disappointment. McLaren team principal Zak Brown had described the Scuderia as being “in a league of their own” in practice, but Charles Leclerc could only qualify fourth and Hamilton fifth, 0.232sec and 0.276sec off the pace respectively.
Leclerc said his car’s performance in Q3 compared with Q2 was “night and day”, noting that even on the out lap it felt completely different. The Monegasque did win from fourth in 2024, however.
Antonelli set the fastest time of the session with his first run in Q3, with no one managing to improve on their second runs as the changing wind direction and bumpy track made things difficult.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen will line up alongside Antonelli on the front row, but declared himself very disappointed with his effort.
“Just Q3 was not good. Q1, Q2 was nice but for whatever reason on both sets did not have a good balance. Didn’t make any mistakes but just [struggled with grip]. Not what I wanted, what I expected, but if it’s still a P2 I’ll take it.”
Antonelli, as he has so often this season, produced his best when it mattered. He declined to say whether he was already thinking about the title, but he would not be human if he was not imagining what it will feel like lifting that trophy. He can only win the race and then hope the rest falls into place. But even if it doesn’t happen this weekend, it is a question of when rather than if.
Strong in practice but tailed away enormously in qualifying. Leclerc was the faster driver and a 0.232sec gap isn not enormous over more than 90 seconds... but Hamilton was further still away and there are two Red Bulls faster than them, too.
Leclerc says: “This time I think it’s slightly different in that I don’t think the others have changed anything. Where we have lost is in ourselves and that is mostly in the tyres. The out lap was extremely difficult... for us it was night and day different. It’s a shame that it happened in Q3 because I believe we had the pace to be fighting in front.”
He says the last time he started from fourth here he won, so here is hoping for him.
“We’ve got pole so we will try to win for tomorrow but Max has been very quick, also he did an incredible job in qualifying. We’ll try to get a good start and try to set the pace. Happy that we stuck it on pole.”
If he is to take the title tomorrow he needs to win, so this is a good step towards that. Not that he will really be worried about it at this point. Would be nice if it happens, I am sure.
“Just Q3 was not good. Q1, Q2 was nice but for whatever reason on both sets did not have a good balance. Didn’t make any mistakes but just [struggled with grip]. Not what I wanted, what I expected but if it’s still a P2 I’ll take it.”
“I am happy to be third even though I think we had a shot at pole... I am a bit gutted but I am happy to have fought back like that.”
Norris loses a time for track limits so Russell back up to sixth.
VER +0.179
HAD +0.215
LEC +0.232
HAM +0.276
RUS +0.441
PIA +0.768
NOR +1.014
LIN +2.014
LAW (NO TIME)
Verstappen does not improve... Hadjar stays third.
Hamilton up to fifth from sixth after a poor final sector... Norris pushes Russell down to seventh.
It’s pole for Antonelli. Everyone struggled to improve in the final runs, especially on the final part of the lap. Pushing too hard, I would imagine. Antonelli does it again, though.
Russell posts a strong first sector. He needs to commit. Antonelli also improves but slightly slower than his team-mate. Leclerc not far away from them, either.
Russell has lost time in the middle sector. He may improve but pole looks a distant chance here.
Verstappen looks to be on a strong lap after a fast first sector.
Leclerc losing time... Antonelli gaining it.
Russell stays fifth but improves... Antonelli looks to have bailed out... does not improve.
Who has something in their pocket? Ferrari’s pace has evaporated, so surely they can find something. Problem is they need to find a lot. Possibly four tenths for Leclerc and maybe as much as 0.7sec for Hamilton, assuming an improvement from Antonelli.
Liam Lawson opting not to run in Q3 but continuing to get a tune out of his Racing Bull. He’s pretty multi-talented is the Kiwi. On Thursday night Lawson, his brother and some friends gave a live music performance in downtown Austin, with the RB driver singing and playing guitar. Indigo by Sam Barber, Daughters by John Mayer, Rein Me In by Sam Fender and I’m The Problem by Morgan Wallen were on the set list. Arvid Lindblad, Daniel Ricciardo and Kimi Raikkonen among those who showed up to support.
ANT 1:34.035
VER +0.179
HAD +0.215
LEC +0.301
RUS +0.441
HAM +0.578
PIA +0.768
NOR +1.014
LIN +2.014
LAW (NO TIME)
Pole last year, for information, was a 1:32.510.
Hamilton is nowhere close to the fastest time, nearly six-tenths behind in fact and in sixth. Piastri and Norris behind him for McLaren, who look to be struggling.
37.375 for Russell in sector two but Antonelli is faster again...
Russell crosses the line witg a 1:34.476... Antonelli is miles faster, more than four tenths...
Verstappen is 0.179sec behind Antonelli and Hadjar just behind him.
It’s not fast enough for Leclerc. Doesn’t look like it will be for Hamilton, either...
Driving unecesarily slowly...
Russell with a 25.396 in the first sector... Antonelli beats that by just under a tenth, though and Verstappen is faster than that by half a tenth... Hadjar not far off, either, Leclerc a bit further behind.
Who has this? I am not sure. Again, Verstappen wouldn’t surprise me. Ferrari look to be the team to beat, just about...
ANT +0.080
RUS +0.107
VER +0.273
NOR +0.341
PIA +0.620
HAM +0.635
HAD +0.689
LIN +0.752
LAW +0.860
Mercedes looking pacey, but pacey enough to challenge for top spot?
So far... yes. Russell goes fastest and then Antonelli nudges him down...
Leclerc then beats them both...
Bortoleto cannot get through. Piastri is through but is a distant sixth. Bearman also out... Alonso crosses the line in 16th still.
Gasly into ninth from 15th. Will that be enough? No, because Lindblad and Lawson knock him out!
Bortoleto is out there on a lonely quick lap at the moment, but he will approach those on out laps.
That said, his lap time suggests he is on a prep lap, because he is 1.7sec off the fastest first sector time.
That Williams is clearly not fun to drive, but Albon is having a stinker in qualifying this season. That is the14th time he has been out-qualified by Sainz this year in 18 races. It’s 18-6 to Sainz when you factor in sprint qualifying as well.
NOR +0.068
ANT +0.285
RUS +0.309
HAM +0.362
HAD +0.416
LEC +0.555
HUL +0.687
LAW +0.809
PIA +0.926
Norris into second ahead of Hamilton and within 0.068sec of Verstappen as Antonelli sets the fastest middle sector.
Third for Russell... Antonelli should be quicker than that... and is, but only by a small margin.
And by a significant margin. 0.362sec faster than Hamilton and more than half a second faster than Leclerc, who is only a tenth of Hulkenberg as Hadjar moves ahead of Leclerc, too, by a tenth.
What have the McLarens got. Norris with a the fastest middle sector of anyone.
Hamilton there or thereabouts too. Verstappen with a blinding first sector... and a decent middle sector.
It’s a 1:35.026 for Leclerc, which Hamilton beats by about two tenths...
15 minutes in the session and a further six drivers to be eliminated.
But he made it through.
These lads make it through.
LEC +0.171
VER +0.186
HAD +0.257
HAM +0.326
ANT +0.361
BOR +0.603
LAW +0.633
HUL +0.675
RUS +0.701
LIN +0.726
PIA +0.813
COL +0.869
GAS +0.940
BEA +1.146
ALO +1.211
Albon has a poor lap and stays 19th and will be eliminated. Gasly on course to make it through as it stands. It would be a bit of a shock were he to be eliminated... 12th it is for the Frenchman.
Norris with a strong middle sector, fastest of anyone... and he then improves to go top of the timesheets, 0.171sec faster than Leclerc.
Audi looking strong... seventh and ninth.
Alonso in 16th, currently through, but can he improve enough to secure his place?
Antonelli in fifth, 0.190sec off the pace and Russell eighth, half a second off.
Piastri improves on the medium tyres and is seventh, but within 0.7sec of the fastest lap.
He moves into the top 12, but is 1.2sec off Leclerc’s early pace.
Stroll, Sainz, Albon, Bottas, Perez and Gasly. Gasly had a lap, which was briefly in the top 10, deleted for track limits.
VER +0.015
HAD +0.086
HAM +0.155
NOR +0.357
HUL +0.864
ANT +0.924
RUS +1.041
PIA +1.307
COL +1.678
Norris is third and four tenths behind and Piastri is fifth and 1.3sec adrift, albeit on the medium tyres.
Verstappen then splits the Ferraris, only just missing out on top spot. Team-mate Hadjar gets ahead of Hamilton and is within a tenth of Leclerc, too. Nice. He’s had a strong season.
It’s a 1:35.200 for the Ferrari man at th emoment, who leads Ocon by 1.7sec. Alonso in third, a further couple of tenths back from Ocon.
Hamilton is also on a good lap but cannot beat his team-mate and is a tenth and a half behind.
They are away. 18 minutes to go in this session. Six drivers will be eliminated.
Ferrari surely have to take pole, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they didn’t. They have a habit of, shall we say, not getting the best from the opportunities they have.
Antonelli can win the drivers’ title but Mercedes will have to wait to secure their first constructors’ title (or title of any kind) since 2021. They can do it in Mexico City, but later than that seems more likely.
It has been a very bumpy road for Aston Martin this season, even after their first significant upgrade of 2026 brought some initial optimism. Singapore was a particularly difficult weekend but both drivers are much closer to the midfield in Austin than they have been for a while.
In final practice earlier today, Fernando Alonso (above) was a mere 1.5sec off the top whilst Lance Stroll was at the lofty heights of 18th, albeit a fair chunk slower than his team-mate.
Verstappen, Red Bull +0.168
Leclerc, Ferrari +0.234
Antonelli, Mercedes +0.234
Russell, Mercedes +0.303
Piastri, McLaren +0.488
Hulkenberg, Audi +0.638
Norris, McLaren +0.813
Gasly, Alpine +1.011
Hadjar, Red Bull +1.037
Lawson, Racing Bulls +1.038
Lindblad, Racing Bulls +1.188
Bortoleto, Audi +1.283
Bearman, Haas +1.342
Colapinto, Alpine +1.358
Alonso, Aston Martin +1.562
Ocon, Haas +1.849
Stroll, Aston Martin +2.238
Albon, Williams +2.775
Sainz, Williams +2.818
Perez, Cadillac +2.991
Bottas, Cadillac +3.872
Welcome to our live coverage for qualifying for the 2026 United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas, just outside of Austin. This is one of the finest tracks that we have on the Formula One calendar and is a fitting place for the US Grand Prix. The races are usually entertaining, the drivers love the track (though have complained about the bumps this year) and it comfortably the best on-track action of the three races in the US.
What might we see this weekend? Well, Kimi Antonelli could be crowned world champion if results go his way. The way the results need to go make that fairly unlikely, but stranger things have happened in F1 and they often do. In any case, it would take a catastrophic implosion for Antonelli to lose the championship from here, so it is a case of when rather than if.
Who looks in good form? Well, Ferrari do. They have brought an updated car here this weekend it, so far, is paying off. Charles Leclerc had good pace yesterday and Lewis Hamilton, his team-mate, was fastest earlier today in final practice. Hamilton’s time of 1min34.893sec was a tenth or two quicker than the Red Bull of Max Verstappen, with Leclerc not too far behind. Then it was Antonelli, George Russell in the second Mercedes and Oscar Piastri making up the top six, though the Australian was nearly half a second off the ultimate pace of Hamilton.
Qualifying begins in about 50 minutes and we will be here with all the updates from that.
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