Kimi Antonelli secured a surprise pole position for the 2026 United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas, setting a lap time of 1:34.035 to edge out Max Verstappen by 0.179 seconds during Friday’s qualifying session in Austin, Texas.
Fantasy & Market Impact
- Antonelli enters Sunday’s race with a genuine opportunity to claim his maiden F1 drivers’ title, dependent on favorable results relative to his championship rivals further down the grid.
- Red Bull secures front-row presence with Verstappen qualifying second and Isack Hadjar delivering a career-best third place.
- McLaren faces an uphill tactical battle on race day after Lando Norris lost his final Q3 lap time to track limits, dropping him to eighth on the grid behind teammate Oscar Piastri.
Qualifying Unfolds at the Circuit of the Americas
The opening segment of qualifying saw Lando Norris post the fastest time in Q1 to briefly interrupt Ferrari’s grip on the timesheets throughout practice, si.com reported. Behind the leaders, strategic tire management defined the midfield as both Mercedes drivers and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri bypassed extra soft compound sets in favor of mediums to safely advance. Pierre Gasly narrowly escaped an early elimination after recovering from a deleted lap time at Turn 9 due to track limits. Meanwhile, Esteban Ocon missed the cut for Haas at their home event alongside teammate Lance Stroll, while Williams struggled as Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon exited early, with Albon describing the session performance bluntly to team engineers. Cadillac duo Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas brought up the rear of the field.
Valtteri noted a small fire at the back of Fernando's car at pit exit 🫨But it seems the Aston Martin driver got going after this to complete a lap to get him through into Q2 👀#F1 #USGP pic.twitter.com/bo7f9eH1cQ
Charles Leclerc reclaimed the top spot for Ferrari during Q2, though Max Verstappen caught the eye by posting the fourth-fastest time on a single set of used rubber within three-tenths of the benchmark. In the fierce battle to break into the top ten, Racing Bulls rookies Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson squeezed through in the dying moments. That left Gasly stranded in eleventh place behind Lawson. Nico Hulkenberg managed twelfth while Oliver Bearman dropped to sixteenth after a late lap time deletion.
Antonelli Claims Pole as Ferrari Fades
When the pole shootout arrived, Antonelli unlocked crucial pace on his initial Q3 run to claim the top spot despite botching his final lap attempt. Isack Hadjar starred with a career-best third place for Red Bull, lining up directly alongside Charles Leclerc on the second row.
George Russell inherited sixth for Mercedes after Lando Norris suffered a late lap time deletion for a track-limit transgression that dropped the McLaren driver to eighth on the grid behind Oscar Piastri. Further down the order, several competitors face grid penalties for power unit component changes, notably Gabriel Bortoleto who is set to start from the back of the grid alongside penalties for Franco Colapinto and Arvid Lindblad.
| Position | Driver | Team | Q3 Time / Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:34.035 |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | +0.179 |
| 3 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | +0.215 |
Disclaimer: The fantasy and market insights provided are for informational and entertainment purposes only and do not constitute financial or betting advice.
One step closer… 👀#F1 #USGP pic.twitter.com/wqcS3I77oH
