Kimi Antonelli takes pole for 2026 US Grand Prix
Kimi Antonelli is trending after taking a surprise pole position for the United States Grand Prix, beating Max Verstappen by 0.179 seconds. The result puts him in a position to clinch his first world championship this Sunday if he wins the race and specific results occur for his rivals.
What happened
- Saturday, 25 Oct
Kimi Antonelli secures pole position with a time of 1:34.035s [2].
- Sunday, 26 Oct
The United States Grand Prix takes place in Austin [1].
What you need to know
Antonelli will be world champion if he wins and George Russell finishes below eighth and Lewis Hamilton finishes below fourth [1].
He currently holds a lead of 102 points over Russell and 111 points over Hamilton [1].
If he wins the title on Sunday, he will be 20 years and 61 days old, breaking Sebastian Vettel's record [1].
Antonelli has won eight of the 17 races held so far this season [1].
It is not yet confirmed if Antonelli will secure the title in Austin or if it will happen in the following races in Mexico City or Sao Paulo [1].
Background
Kimi Antonelli is a Mercedes driver in his second F1 season. He joined the team in 2025, replacing Lewis Hamilton [3].
The 2026 season has seen Antonelli dominate early on with five consecutive wins, though Red Bull and McLaren later challenged Mercedes' lead [1, 3].
Questions people ask
What is the starting grid for the top six?
1) Kimi Antonelli, 2) Max Verstappen, 3) Isack Hadjar, 4) Charles Leclerc, 5) Lewis Hamilton, and 6) George Russell [2].
Why is Lando Norris not higher on the grid?
Norris was moved from sixth to eighth after his final qualifying lap was deleted for breaching track limits [2].
Where this came from
[1] bbc.co.uk
United States Grand Prix: Kimi Antonelli stands on brink of history in Austin
Preview image from bbc.co.uk
[2] skysports.com
United States GP Qualifying: Kimi Antonelli beats Max Verstappen to surprise pole to boost chances of sealing maiden F1 title on Sunday
Preview image from skysports.com
[3] theguardian.com
‘A different kid’: from karting to F1 champion-elect, Antonelli’s ability has always stood out
Preview image from theguardian.com
Found through Google Trends and drafted with AI from at least two cited sources. Published automatically after passing our automated checks for sources, wording and safety. It may not have been reviewed by a person yet. Report a correction.