Antonelli takes US pole on weekend he can win title

Kimi Antonelli secured pole position for the United States Grand Prix on the same weekend he can potentially secure his first world title. The Mercedes driver edged out Red Bull's Max Verstappen by 0.179 seconds, with Verstappen's teammate Isack Hadjar finishing third ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. Excited by his first pole since the Belgian Grand Prix in July, Antonelli stated, "It feels good to be back."

The 20-year-old Italian is set to become world champion if he emerges victorious in the race, provided Hamilton finishes below fourth and Russell is not higher than eighth. Hamilton currently sits fifth, while Russell starts sixth ahead of the McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.

Antonelli's pole position came as a surprise, considering the Ferraris had topped all three practice sessions and Verstappen appeared strong during the second part of qualifying. Antonelli's engineer, Peter Bonnington, noted that his charge's final lap in qualifying was sufficient for pole. Verstappen had been the fourth quickest in Q2, but his car struggled with grip during the final session.

Antonelli acknowledged the challenge ahead, adding, "We got pole so we will try to win tomorrow but Max has been very quick and Isack did an incredible job so it is not going to be easy. We try to get a good start and hopefully lead into Turn One and try to set the pace, even if it is going to be very tight." Verstappen commented, "Q3 was not good, Q1, Q2 were nice but for whatever reason in run one and two just didn't have a nice balance. No mistakes, just not enough grip. But if it's still a P2, I take it."