Antonelli on pole and closing in on F1 championship title

Summarised from 4 outlets · Updated 25 Oct, 19:14 · Archive

Kimi Antonelli has claimed pole position for the United States Grand Prix and has a chance to clinch the Formula One drivers' championship today.

Kimi Antonelli secured pole position for the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas in Austin on Saturday, positioning himself to potentially become champion. Antonelli's 56-lap race today offers him the opportunity to clinch the drivers' title if results align in his favour.

Antonelli currently leads the championship by 102 points over his Mercedes teammate George Russell and 111 points ahead of Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton. The Italian driver needs a lead of 125 points or more to seal the championship mathematically. He will clinch the title if he wins the race, Russell finishes ninth or worse, and Hamilton finishes fifth or worse. Under other result combinations, the championship could remain undecided or Hamilton could be eliminated from contention.

Ferrari entered qualifying as favourites after topping all three practice sessions, with significant upgrades introduced for the weekend. However, Charles Leclerc and Hamilton qualified outside the top three. Leclerc finished fourth and Hamilton fifth in the final qualifying phase. Red Bull's Max Verstappen qualified second alongside Antonelli on the front row.

Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur acknowledged the disappointment, telling Sky Sports: 'The potential was there over the weekend. We had good pace in free practice. Until the last corner we are fighting for pole but it is like it is.'

Antonelli acknowledged the challenge ahead. 'Max has been very quick and did an incredible job in qualifying so it's not going to be easy. Hopefully we'll be leading into turn one and we'll try to set the pace, even though it's going to be very tight,' he said on Saturday.

The race begins at 3pm CDT (8pm GMT) on 25 October. The 3.426-mile Circuit of the Americas course features 20 turns, with drivers completing 191.634 miles over the distance.

How it is being reported

• United States Grand Prix: Formula One – live️ Updates from Austin; race start 3pm CDT/8pm GMT ️ Antonelli seizes US GP poll | Mail Tom with your thoughts So here we are. Nine-year-old Kimi Antonelli* has a chance to become the youngest champion in F1 history today – and he’s sitting on pole too . He leads the championship by 102 points over his Mercedes teammate George Russell. He’ll clinch the championship if he wins and Russell finishes outside the top eight, with Lewis Hamilton outside the top four. While the two Britons will push Antonelli, the man who appears to be most on his mind is Max Verstappen, who has been in brilliant…The Guardian · 25 Oct, 19:08
• Live: Antonelli on pole with chance to become F1 world championItalian Kimi Antonelli has his first chance to seal the Formula 1 drivers' championship, needing a win and other results to go his way. Follow live.ABC News Australia · 25 Oct, 19:01
• F1 returns to Austin—Here’s how to watch the US Grand Prix 2026 for freeDrivers championship leader Kimi Antonelli starts in pole position and could clinch the title today.New York Post · 25 Oct, 17:00
• United States GP: Antonelli on pole from Verstappen and with title chance LIVE!Follow live updates and watch the best video from the United States Grand Prix in Austin. Watch live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main EventSky Sports · 24 Oct, 18:23

In this story: Kimi Antonelli · George Russell · Lewis Hamilton · Max Verstappen · Charles Leclerc · Mercedes · Ferrari · Austin

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