UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX · QUALIFYING INTELLIGENCE · OCTOBER 24, 2026

Antonelli Takes Austin Pole Ahead of Verstappen as 2026 F1 Title Chance Grows

Kimi Antonelli delivered the decisive lap at Circuit of the Americas, taking pole in 1:34.035 as Red Bull placed both cars directly behind him. The result strengthens the Mercedes driver's position for Sunday's race — but does not change the championship points or settle the penalty-adjusted starting grid.

Antonelli finds the lap when practice form suggested another favourite

Ferrari had led all three practice sessions, with Charles Leclerc fastest on Friday and Lewis Hamilton on Saturday morning. Yet the decisive qualifying lap belonged to Antonelli. His opening Q3 effort of 1:34.035 survived the final runs and gave him a 0.179-second advantage over Max Verstappen.

It is Antonelli's seventh Grand Prix pole of the season and his first since July. After Verstappen won the previous two Grands Prix, the Austin front row places the championship leader alongside the driver with the strongest recent winning run. The start, tyre management and the first sequence of corners are now more consequential than the practice headline times.

Red Bull takes second and third; Ferrari drops from practice leader to second-row challenger

Verstappen qualified second in 1:34.214, just ahead of team-mate Isack Hadjar's 1:34.250. Hadjar's third place gives Red Bull a useful two-car position near the front, while Ferrari's Leclerc (1:34.267) and Hamilton (1:34.311) occupy fourth and fifth in the qualifying classification.

The shift from a Ferrari practice sweep to fourth and fifth in qualifying illustrates why single-session lap times are not a reliable race forecast. Fuel loads, tyre preparation, track evolution and changing wind conditions complicate comparisons. Ferrari's pace remains relevant, but Saturday's qualifying result is the first definitive one-lap ranking of the weekend.

Russell sixth, McLaren seventh and eighth after Norris lap deletion

George Russell qualified sixth, 0.441 seconds off Antonelli, leaving the Mercedes title rivals separated by five places on the qualifying sheet. Oscar Piastri placed seventh for McLaren and Lando Norris eighth after Norris lost a quicker lap for exceeding track limits. That leaves both McLarens behind the two Ferraris and two Red Bulls.

McLaren enters the Grand Prix with 339 Constructors' Championship points, seven ahead of Red Bull's 332. With Red Bull qualifying second and third against McLaren's seventh and eighth, the battle for third in the constructors' standings is a major race-day watch point. Those totals are unchanged by qualifying.

The championship equation: pole helps, but Antonelli still needs rivals to lose ground

Antonelli leads the Drivers' Championship with 340 points, ahead of Russell on 238 and Hamilton on 229. His 102-point advantage over Russell is unchanged because qualifying does not award points.

For Antonelli to clinch the title at Austin, he must win Sunday's Grand Prix, with Russell finishing ninth or lower and Hamilton fifth or lower. If that combination does not occur, the championship remains open beyond Texas. A front-row start creates an opportunity for Antonelli; it does not make the title automatic.

Power-unit penalties: qualifying position is not necessarily grid position

Race-day update, October 25: Formula 1 has published the penalty-adjusted provisional starting grid. Arvid Lindblad qualified ninth but drops five places to P14 after an additional power-unit element. Franco Colapinto moves to P21 after a 10-place drop. Gabriel Bortoleto has received 80 grid places in cumulative power-unit penalties (an initial 20 places followed by 60 more) and will start P22. An earlier version of this article cited only Bortoleto's initial 20-place penalty; that figure has been corrected to the full cumulative 80-place penalty.

The revised order promotes Liam Lawson to P9 and Pierre Gasly to P10. This is the provisional starting grid, not an irrevocable race-start order: any further FIA rulings, pit-lane starts or technical changes may supersede it. The separate top-10 list below records the original qualifying classification for historical comparison.

Provisional United States Grand Prix starting grid — October 25

Antonelli leads Verstappen into Turn 1, with Hadjar and Leclerc on row two. Ferrari's Hamilton lines up fifth alongside title rival Russell, while McLaren starts seventh and eighth. The three power-unit penalties move Lawson and Gasly into the top 10. Formula 1's published grid is reproduced below; it remains subject to race-day revisions.

Published qualifying top 10

Paddock Command race-day watch

The central contest is Antonelli's launch against Verstappen and the Red Bull pair's ability to pressure the Mercedes over 56 laps. Ferrari has a two-car opportunity to convert its practice pace into race points from fourth and fifth, while McLaren must protect a seven-point advantage over Red Bull from further back.

Track limits, tyre wear and changing track conditions are meaningful variables at COTA, but the race will decide which qualifying advantages endure. Sunday's result will also establish whether Antonelli can leave Austin as champion or whether the title fight continues to Mexico City on October 30–November 1.

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Sources and verification

Formula 1 official qualifying report · Official Drivers' Championship standings · Official Constructors' Championship standings · Official power-unit penalty report · Official provisional starting grid · Official title permutations · Official Austin race schedule.

Editorial status: Qualifying classification checked October 24; official provisional starting grid and cumulative 80-place Bortoleto penalty verified October 25, 2026. The race-day starting order may still be amended.