Antonelli beats Verstappen to claim US Grand Prix pole in Austin
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli secured pole position for the 2026 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of The Americas, beating Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by 0.179 seconds after a closely contested qualifying session.
The Italian produced his fastest lap on his first Q3 attempt, leaving Verstappen second and Isack Hadjar third. Charles Leclerc qualified fourth for Ferrari, while team-mate Lewis Hamilton completed the top five.
The result came as a surprise after Ferrari dominated all three practice sessions, with Leclerc fastest in FP1 and FP2 before Hamilton topped the final session.
This was a save and a half from Kimi on the exit kerb of Turn 19! 😱 #F1 #USGP https://t.co/ahlYEoIEEx
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 24, 2026
Ferrari loses early advantage as Verstappen challenges
Ferrari initially appeared to be the team to beat, with Leclerc setting the early pace in Q1 on soft tyres. However, Verstappen quickly moved into contention, splitting the two Ferrari drivers before Lando Norris eventually topped the opening segment.
McLaren and Mercedes experimented with medium tyres during Q1, allowing Antonelli, George Russell and Oscar Piastri to preserve fresh sets of softs for the later stages.
The opening session eliminated Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll, Carlos Sainz, Alex Albon, Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas.
Leclerc eventually topped Q2 after the leading drivers completed their final attempts. Both Racing Bulls drivers, Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad, advanced to the pole-position shootout, while Pierre Gasly, Nico Hulkenberg, Gabriel Bortoleto, Franco Colapinto, Fernando Alonso and Oliver Bearman were eliminated.
Bearman’s final lap was deleted for exceeding track limits, dropping him from 13th to 16th.
📻 "My seat is getting very hot on my back" 🔥 George Russell is warming up in the cockpit as we approach the final laps of Q1… #F1 #USGP https://t.co/IXGVOthwse
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 24, 2026
Antonelli delivers decisive lap in Q3
Antonelli took control of the final qualifying segment with an impressive opening run, finishing 0.179 seconds ahead of Verstappen.
Hadjar, who had struggled with his car’s handling throughout practice, delivered one of the session’s strongest performances to take third, just 0.036 seconds behind his Red Bull team-mate.
Norris initially climbed to sixth but lost his final lap to a track-limits infringement, dropping to eighth.
Lawson did not set a Q3 time, with Racing Bulls electing to preserve tyres for Sunday’s race.
Grid penalties set to affect Sunday’s race
Three drivers face grid penalties for taking additional power-unit components.
Lindblad will receive a five-place grid drop, while Colapinto faces a 10-place penalty. Bortoleto is set to start from the back of the grid.
Antonelli will now look to convert pole into victory at a circuit where Verstappen has previously won four times.
The championship leader also has an opportunity to wrap up the title in Austin, although the required finishing positions of his closest rivals make a championship decision this weekend far from certain.
