Antonelli takes US GP pole ahead of Verstappen, can clinch F1 title in Austin
Kimi Antonelli beat Max Verstappen to pole for the United States Grand Prix and can become Formula 1's youngest world champion on Sunday if he wins and George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finish low enough.
At a glance
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) took pole for the 2026 United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin with 1:34.035, 0.179 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen (Red Bull).
- It is the Italian's seventh pole of 2026 and his first in eight races; Isack Hadjar was third, Charles Leclerc fourth and Lewis Hamilton fifth, with title rival George Russell sixth.
- Antonelli leads the championship with 340 points, 102 ahead of Russell (238) and 111 ahead of Hamilton (229), with six rounds left including Austin.
- He will be crowned champion on Sunday if he wins and Russell finishes ninth or lower and Hamilton fifth or lower. At 20, he would be F1's youngest ever champion and Italy's first since Alberto Ascari in 1953.
- The race starts at 3pm local time on Sunday, October 25 — 1am Pakistan time on Monday, October 26.
Kimi Antonelli took pole position for the 2026 United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, on Saturday, October 24, beating Max Verstappen by 0.179 seconds and putting himself one race win away from the Formula 1 world title. The 20-year-old Mercedes driver will be crowned on Sunday — as F1's youngest ever champion — if he wins and his closest rivals, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, finish far enough behind.
Qualifying result
Antonelli set a lap of 1:34.035 on his first run in Q3 at the Circuit of the Americas. In gusty, unpredictable wind, neither he nor Verstappen improved on their second attempts, so his early benchmark held. It is his seventh pole of the season but his first in eight races.
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time / gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:34.035 |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +0.179 |
| 3 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | +0.215 |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.232 |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.276 |
| 6 | George Russell | Mercedes | — |
| 7 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | — |
| 8 | Lando Norris | McLaren | — (lap deleted for track limits) |
| 9 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | — (five-place grid penalty) |
| 10 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | — |
Pierre Gasly missed Q3 by just 0.022 seconds. Several drivers have grid penalties: Franco Colapinto drops 10 places for a new control electronics unit, Gabriel Bortoleto starts from the back after a power unit change, and Lindblad loses five places for exceeding his engine allocation.
The title maths
| Drivers' championship (before Austin) | Points | Gap |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) | 340 | — |
| 2. George Russell (Mercedes) | 238 | -102 |
| 3. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) | 229 | -111 |
With Austin and five more rounds left, Antonelli will clinch the championship on Sunday if he wins the race and:
- Russell finishes ninth or lower, and
- Hamilton finishes fifth or lower.
If either rival finishes higher, or Antonelli does not win, the title fight moves on to the Mexico City Grand Prix next weekend, where he will again have the chance to finish the job. With his lead, he is all but certain to be champion this season.
Background
Antonelli, from Bologna, joined Mercedes in 2025 as Lewis Hamilton's replacement, straight from junior formulae. Under F1's new 2026 rules he has turned the team into the class of the field and built a large lead over his own team-mate Russell. A title this weekend would make him the first Italian world champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953 and break Sebastian Vettel's record as the youngest champion (23 years, 134 days in 2010).
Verstappen, the four-time champion, has been Antonelli's strongest challenger in recent races in an improving Red Bull, while Hamilton is in his second season at Ferrari.
Reactions
"We got pole, so we will try to win tomorrow," Antonelli said, adding that Verstappen had been "very quick" and that winning "won't be easy". He described Q3 as "very gusty and unpredictable".
Verstappen said his final lap had no mistakes but "just no grip", and that the car "started to slide a lot".
How to watch
The race starts at 3pm local time on Sunday, October 25. That is 1am Pakistan time (1:30am India) on Monday, October 26, and 8pm in the UK on Sunday. GlobeHourly will report the result and whether Antonelli has been crowned.
Questions people are asking
Can Kimi Antonelli win the F1 title in Austin?
Yes. Antonelli will become world champion at the United States Grand Prix on October 25, 2026, if he wins the race while George Russell finishes ninth or lower and Lewis Hamilton fifth or lower. Otherwise the title fight moves on to Mexico City.
Who is on pole for the 2026 US Grand Prix?
Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes is on pole with a lap of 1:34.035, ahead of Max Verstappen by 0.179 seconds. Isack Hadjar starts third, Charles Leclerc fourth and Lewis Hamilton fifth.
What time does the US Grand Prix start in Pakistan?
The race starts at 3pm Central Time in Austin on Sunday, October 25, 2026, which is 1am Pakistan time on Monday, October 26, and 1:30am in India.
