AUSTIN, Texas, Oct 24 (Reuters) – Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli will start on pole position for a US Grand Prix that could make him Formula One’s youngest world champion, and Italy’s first since 1953, if results go his way on Sunday.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen joined the 20-year-old on the front row after Saturday’s qualifying at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas with teammate Isack Hadjar qualifying third and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc completing the second row.

Antonelli has a 102-point lead in the championship over closest rival and teammate George Russell, who qualified only sixth, with 125 points still to be won after Sunday’s 56 lap race.

To take the title in Texas, the Italian will need to win with Russell and Ferrari’s seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton finishing no higher than ninth or fifth respectively. Otherwise, his next opportunity will be in Mexico next weekend. 

Hamilton qualified fifth after setting the fastest time in final practice but was then unable to continue the momentum into qualifying.

GOOD TO BE BACK

The unexpected pole was Antonelli’s first since Belgium in July, and seventh so far this season, and he found the speed just when he needed it.

“It feels good to be back,” he said over the team radio after a gusty session.

“We got pole, so we will try to win tomorrow,” he added in comments to the crowd after stepping out of the car. “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 One, then set the pace, even though it will be very tight.”

Antonelli set his time of one minute 34.035 with his first flying lap of the final phase, leaving him 0.179 quicker than Verstappen who won last year in Austin from pole and has also won the last two races this season in Malaysia and Singapore.

“There were no mistakes but just no grip and (the car) started to slide a lot and then the final lap, you can see that it’s not really happening with the tail wind in places,” said Verstappen.

“So you try to push a bit more, you hit the bump wrong and the car is like a kangaroo and you have a massive slide, so you know the lap is over.”

Hadjar also said he had a tailwind, costing him time and a possible shot at pole.

Russell hoped strategy could get him back in contention on Sunday but recognised Antonelli had landed another telling blow.

“Qualifying was looking OK to be honest until we got to Q3,” said the Briton. “I just did two bad laps and that’s why we were where we were. Kimi did a great job.” 

Leclerc recalled that he won in 2024 from fourth on the grid and hoped he might repeat the feat, blaming tyre temperatures for his Saturday problems.

“There was a bit more cloud in Q3. We lost one or two degrees of track temp and, for us, it was night and day different and already from the out lap I felt I was having lots of difficulties,” said the Monegasque.  

McLaren’s Oscar Piastri qualified seventh, one place ahead of reigning world champion teammate Lando Norris, and Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad was ninth fastest but has a  five-place grid penalty for a power unit component change.

That will lift teammate Liam Lawson to ninth with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly also moving up to complete the top 10.

Lawson did not take part in the final phase, preferring to save tyres for Sunday and knowing he was unlikely to get much higher up the grid.