Antonelli pole position changes title picture
Kimi Antonelli took pole position for the United States Grand Prix, beating Max Verstappen by 0.179 seconds. The Antonelli pole position was his seventh of the season and came in gusty Austin conditions that caught out several drivers. His lap of 1:34.035 gives him the best chance to seal a maiden F1 title on Sunday.
The 20-year-old Mercedes driver is all but certain to become Formula 1's youngest ever champion. He could clinch the title with five rounds to spare if he wins in Austin and other placings go his way.
It was perhaps the most unlikely of Antonelli's seven poles this season. He came from nowhere in Q3 to surge ahead of Verstappen, who had appeared for most of the weekend to be battling Ferrari for the front-row positions.
Verstappen and Hadjar lead the chase
Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate Isack Hadjar equalled his best qualifying result by taking third. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were fourth and fifth, a hugely disappointing outcome after the team had topped all three practice sessions.
Neither Antonelli nor Verstappen improved on the second of their two Q3 flying laps. Antonelli made a mistake in the final sector on his second run, which appeared to open the door for Verstappen, but the Dutchman was also caught out and failed to improve.
“We got pole, so we will try to win tomorrow,” Antonelli said. “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 1, then set the pace, even though it will be very tight.” He added that Q3 was “very tough with the wind. Very gusty and unpredictable but happy to put it on pole.”
Ferrari fade after practice promise
Ferrari came into the session as favourites for pole having topped all three practice sessions. Leclerc set the early pace in Q1, only for an extra run at the end of the session from Lando Norris to knock both Leclerc and Verstappen down from the top two places.
In Q2, Verstappen eased through with just one run on a used set of tyres. Leclerc finished the period fastest ahead of Antonelli and Russell, who had shown improvement for Mercedes but still couldn't match the Ferrari on fresh tyres.
Mercedes' dominance during the first half of the season enabled Antonelli to build a big championship lead and his team to do the same in the constructors' standings. Their recent upgrade package had failed to deliver until the first runs in Q3, when Antonelli put together a fine lap to sit almost two tenths clear of Verstappen.
Title permutations for Sunday
George Russell will start from sixth. The Brit needs to finish in the top eight to ensure Antonelli won't be crowned champion if he wins on Sunday. Hamilton would also need to finish fifth or lower in the event of an Antonelli victory for the title to be confirmed.
Antonelli's advantage is such that the title could be settled with five rounds remaining. The precise combination depends on where Russell and Hamilton finish, but an Antonelli win is the starting point for any early coronation.
Grid changes behind the top five
Oscar Piastri took seventh ahead of his McLaren team-mate Lando Norris, who was demoted from sixth after his final effort was deleted for breaching track limits. Racing Bulls took the final two top-10 places but Liam Lawson will inherit ninth from his team-mate Arvid Lindblad, who has a five-place grid penalty for exceeding his engine component allowance.
The original report is available via skysports.com.
