Antonelli snatches pole from Verstappen in Q3
Kimi Antonelli will start the United States Grand Prix from pole position after edging Max Verstappen by 0.179 seconds in qualifying at Austin. The Mercedes driver's best lap of 1:34.035s came in the first of his two Q3 runs, and neither he nor the Red Bull rival could improve on their second attempt. The pole is the seventh of Antonelli's season and arguably the least expected, given that Verstappen had spent much of the weekend trading pace with Ferrari.[S1][S2][S3][S4][S5][S6][S7][S8]
Isack Hadjar, Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate, matched his best qualifying result by taking third. Ferrari's challenge collapsed in the final phase: Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, who had topped all three practice sessions, ended up fourth and fifth. George Russell qualified sixth, while Oscar Piastri took seventh ahead of McLaren team-mate Lando Norris, whose last effort was deleted for a track-limits breach.[S1][S6]
Title scenarios hinge on Sunday's race
Antonelli, 20, is all but certain to become Formula 1's youngest champion, and he could wrap up the crown with five rounds remaining if he wins in Austin and other placings go his way. For that to happen, Russell must finish outside the top eight and Hamilton must place fifth or lower should Antonelli take victory. The Mercedes driver said he would try to win and hoped to lead into Turn 1, while acknowledging that Verstappen and Hadjar had shown strong pace.[S1][S7]
Ferrari's Q3 slump and Verstappen's struggles
Ferrari entered qualifying as favourites after leading every practice session, and Leclerc set the early pace before Norris's late Q1 run pushed the Ferrari drivers down the order. Verstappen appeared to separate himself in Q2, easing through on a single used-tyre run, but the picture shifted in Q3 when Antonelli found almost two tenths. Leclerc attributed Ferrari's drop to the tyres and a slight fall in track temperature rather than any change from rivals, while Verstappen described a loss of grip and balance on both sets in the final phase.[S1]
