Key Takeaways
- Kimi Antonelli clinches pole position for the US Grand Prix.
- Antonelli leads the championship by 102 points over his nearest rival.
- Antonelli aims to become Formula One's youngest champion and Italy's first since 1953.
Kimi Antonelli secured pole position for the United States Grand Prix, demonstrating his dominance in qualifying on Saturday.
With a time of 1 minute 34.035 seconds, Antonelli outpaced Max Verstappen by 0.179 seconds, securing his seventh pole of the season.
The 20-year-old Italian driver is now just one victory away from clinching the world championship, with his Mercedes team-mate George Russell and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton needing to finish outside the top four and top eight respectively.
Antonelli expressed his satisfaction with the qualifying session, stating, 'We got pole so we’ll try to win tomorrow.'
Verstappen, who won this race last year, admitted, 'Q3 was not good. Q1, Q2 it was nice, but for whatever reason with both sets of tyres, I just didn’t have the balance.'
The session took place in hot and cloudy conditions, with the top ten shootout featuring Antonelli, Verstappen, and Leclerc.
Antonelli’s performance is significant as he aims to become the youngest Formula One champion and the first Italian to do so since Alberto Ascari in 1953.
The race is set to be a tight contest, with Antonelli acknowledging the challenge, 'Max has been very quick and did an incredible job in qualifying, so it’s not going to be easy.'
The race will take place on Sunday, with all eyes on Antonelli as he seeks to secure his first US Grand Prix victory and the world championship.
We got pole so we’ll try to win tomorrow.
Kimi Antonelli, Formula One driver
Q3 was not good. Q1, Q2 it was nice, but for whatever reason with both sets of tyres, I just didn’t have the balance.
Max Verstappen, Formula One driver
