Antonelli denies Verstappen in Austin qualifying as Ferrari’s pole hopes collapse

News Summary

• Kimi Antonelli secured pole position for the 2026 United States Grand Prix, beating Max Verstappen in the qualifying battle at Austin.
• Ferrari failed to convert its practice dominance into pole, despite Charles Leclerc leading FP1 and FP2 and Lewis Hamilton topping FP3.
• Antonelli enters Sunday’s race with a 102-point advantage over George Russell and his first mathematical opportunity to clinch the Drivers’ Championship.

Kimi Antonelli secured pole position for the 2026 United States Grand Prix on Saturday (October 24), defeating Max Verstappen at Circuit of The Americas and denying Ferrari its first pole of the season. The Mercedes driver produced his strongest performance when it mattered most, following a weekend in which Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton had established the Italian team as the leading contender.

Antonelli entered qualifying after finishing fourth in FP3, 0.303 seconds behind Hamilton. The Mercedes driver had also placed second in Friday’s FP2, when he finished just 0.042s behind Leclerc.

However, the balance of power shifted during Saturday’s qualifying session. Antonelli delivered the decisive performance, beating Verstappen and securing the leading starting position for Sunday’s race.

The result represents another important step in the Italian’s championship campaign. With six rounds remaining before Austin, Antonelli arrived in Texas holding a 102-point advantage over teammate George Russell and facing his first mathematical opportunity to become Formula 1 world champion.

Antonelli overturns Ferrari’s Austin practice advantage

Ferrari had dominated the build-up to qualifying.

Leclerc topped the opening session on Friday with a 1:36.052 before improving to 1:35.291 during FP2. The Monegasque finished only 0.042s ahead of Antonelli in the afternoon, with Verstappen third.

Hamilton subsequently moved Ferrari back to the top in Saturday’s final practice, recording a 1:34.893 to beat Verstappen by 0.168s.

The result gave Ferrari the fastest lap in all three practice sessions and increased expectations that the Italian manufacturer could finally secure its first pole position of 2026.

However, the leading teams remained closely matched throughout the weekend.

Antonelli repeatedly demonstrated competitive pace, while Verstappen remained within reach of Ferrari in all three sessions.

Ferrari’s drivers had also acknowledged that practice results did not guarantee qualifying success.

Leclerc warned that Mercedes and Red Bull were likely to improve before Q3, identifying Antonelli and Verstappen as particularly strong opponents.

His assessment was detailed in Ferrari’s warning that its Austin practice lead might not survive qualifying.

Saturday’s result confirmed that Ferrari’s pace advantage during practice was not sufficient to secure pole position.

Verstappen keeps Red Bull in contention after Austin technical complaints

Verstappen remained Antonelli’s principal opponent in the battle for the front of the grid.

The four-time world champion arrived in Austin following consecutive victories in Malaysia and Singapore, having benefited from significant improvements to the RB22 during the second half of the season.

Red Bull had also demonstrated encouraging speed throughout practice.

Verstappen finished second in FP1, third in FP2 and second again in FP3, consistently challenging the Ferrari drivers and Mercedes.

However, the Dutchman experienced difficulties with the car’s behaviour during final practice.

He complained angrily over team radio about the RB22’s gearshifts, questioning why they were performing so poorly.

The incident did not establish that the gearbox had suffered a mechanical failure, and Red Bull had not immediately confirmed the cause.

Despite those difficulties, Verstappen remained competitive in qualifying and secured a position alongside Antonelli at the front of the field.

His recent results mean the United States Grand Prix will provide another important comparison between Mercedes’ championship-leading W17 and Red Bull’s improved package.

Ferrari misses first pole of 2026 despite leading all three practice sessions

Ferrari’s failure to secure pole continues an unusual feature of its 2026 campaign.

The Italian team arrived in Austin with two Grand Prix victories but no pole positions from the first 17 rounds.

Hamilton won the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, while Leclerc took victory at Silverstone.

Those results demonstrated that Ferrari could compete for race victories without necessarily possessing the strongest car over a single qualifying lap.

Austin appeared to offer a particularly favourable opportunity to change that record.

The team introduced an aerodynamic development package and immediately demonstrated competitive performance across different sections of Circuit of The Americas.

Leclerc was the quickest driver on Friday, while Hamilton improved significantly on Saturday after experiencing balance difficulties during the opening sessions.

Yet Mercedes and Red Bull remained close enough to challenge.

The pre-qualifying question was examined in whether Ferrari could finally secure its first Formula 1 pole of 2026.

With Antonelli taking the leading starting position, Ferrari’s search for a first pole of the season will continue beyond Austin.

Antonelli moves closer to first opportunity to secure F1 title

Antonelli’s pole position is particularly significant because of his advantage in the Drivers’ Championship.

The Mercedes driver arrived at the United States Grand Prix with 340 points, compared with 238 for Russell and 229 for Hamilton.

He has won eight Grands Prix during 2026 and established himself as the leading contender under Formula 1’s new technical regulations.

However, pole position does not automatically give Antonelli the championship.

To secure the title at Austin, the Italian must win Sunday’s Grand Prix while Russell finishes ninth or lower and Hamilton finishes fifth or lower.

If those conditions are not met, the championship will remain open for the Mexican Grand Prix and the remaining rounds.

Victory at Austin would also give Antonelli the opportunity to become the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history, surpassing Sebastian Vettel’s record from 2010.

The Mercedes driver’s progress has attracted praise from several experienced competitors, including Lewis Hamilton.

The Ferrari driver said in Austin that he supported Antonelli’s championship campaign and believed his former Mercedes team had made the correct decision when selecting the Italian as his replacement.

Hamilton’s assessment is available in his endorsement of Antonelli’s 2026 title challenge.

United States GP grid penalties could affect final starting order

The qualifying result will also need to be reconciled with previously announced grid penalties.

Three drivers received sanctions following power-unit component changes ahead of the weekend.

Gabriel Bortoleto faces a 20-place penalty for Audi, while Franco Colapinto received a ten-place sanction for Alpine and Arvid Lindblad must drop five positions for Racing Bulls.

The penalties do not alter the lap times recorded during qualifying, but they affect the final starting order for Sunday’s race.

The details were confirmed in the FIA’s United States Grand Prix grid-penalty decisions.

The final starting grid will depend on the application of those sanctions and any additional decisions issued by the stewards.

United States GP 2026 — Qualifying Results

When is the United States Grand Prix?

The United States Grand Prix takes place on Sunday, October 25, with the 56-lap race scheduled to begin at 15:00 local time in Austin.

The United Kingdom changes from BST to GMT in the early hours of Sunday, October 25.

The full weekend guide is available in the United States Grand Prix schedule and start times.

GRANDE PRÊMIO is following every session of the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas this weekend, with breaking news, full coverage and real-time updates in its Formula 1 section.