F1 qualifying LIVE: US Grand Prix 2026 reaction as Kimi Antonelli takes pole
BBC • • sports
Key Points:
- Kimi Antonelli secured pole position at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, beating Max Verstappen by 0.179 seconds, positioning himself to potentially clinch his first Formula 1 world title this weekend.
- Antonelli, 20, will become world champion if he wins the race with Lewis Hamilton finishing outside the top four and George Russell outside the top eight; Hamilton and Russell qualified fifth and sixth respectively, making this scenario possible.
- Max Verstappen qualified second but expressed dissatisfaction with his Q3 performance, while Ferrari's Charles Leclerc qualified fourth, hoping to replicate his previous success starting from that position in Texas.
- Mercedes driver Antonelli praised the challenging conditions during qualifying and acknowledged the difficulty of maintaining his lead against strong competitors like Verstappen.
- Other notable qualifiers include Red Bull's Isack Hadjar in third, McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in seventh and eighth, with Norris describing the weekend as particularly challenging for McLaren.
