Antonelli seizes seventh pole of 2026 to edge Verstappen in tight Austin qualifying

Kimi Antonelli put Mercedes on pole for the 2026 United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas on Saturday, posting a 1m34.035s in Q3 to beat Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar by roughly two tenths of a second. It was the championship leader’s seventh pole of the season and his first since the summer break.

The result carries enormous title implications. Antonelli will be crowned 2026 Formula 1 world champion on Sunday if he wins the race and team-mate George Russell finishes ninth or lower.

Antonelli’s decisive lap came on his first Q3 run, and it proved untouchable as few frontrunners were able to improve on their final efforts. Verstappen, who had taken the previous two poles this weekend and looked to have a slight edge alongside the Ferraris across the demanding 5.5km circuit, was denied a third straight pole by just 0.2 seconds. Hadjar completed a Red Bull front-row lockout in third.

Charles Leclerc had led the way in Q2 with a 1m34.198s and looked a genuine threat, but the Monégasque managed only fourth when it mattered most. Lewis Hamilton was fifth in the second Ferrari, while Russell — Antonelli’s closest title rival — was a disappointing sixth.

Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris qualified seventh and eighth for McLaren, with Norris having set the fastest time in Q1. Racing Bulls pair Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson rounded out the top ten, though their grid positions will shift before Sunday’s start. Lindblad carries a five-place penalty for taking a new combustion engine, dropping him to 14th, while Lawson chose to sit out Q3 to protect his team-mate’s position and will start ninth.

The Q2 elimination phase produced its share of drama. Pierre Gasly was the first casualty, missing the cut for Alpine by just 0.022 seconds. Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto were eliminated for Audi, along with Franco Colapinto, Fernando Alonso, and Oliver Bearman. Bearman had a lap quick enough for 13th deleted for a track-limits violation at Turn 11.

Bortoleto faces a back-of-the-grid start regardless after Audi fitted a new power unit, but he advanced to Q2 to give Hulkenberg a tow on COTA’s long straight. Colapinto will also start from the back row after a 10-place grid penalty for new engine control electronics.