Follow-Up: Antonelli Takes U.S. Grand Prix Pole in 1:34.035 Ahead of Verstappen and Hadjar
AUSTIN — Qualifying for the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix was held on the afternoon of October 24 at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli set a 1:34.035 in Q3 to take pole position for Sunday's race, 0.179 seconds ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen in second.
The rest of the Q3 top eight: Red Bull's Isack Hadjar third in 1:34.250, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc fourth in 1:34.267, Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton fifth in 1:34.311, Mercedes' George Russell sixth in 1:34.476, McLaren's Oscar Piastri seventh in 1:34.803 and McLaren's Lando Norris eighth in 1:35.049, putting the top five within 0.3 seconds. Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson reached Q3 but set no time, while his teammate Arvid Lindblad was ninth in qualifying with a 1:36.049.
Ferrari had topped all three practice sessions: Leclerc was fastest in both Friday sessions, and Hamilton led final practice on Saturday with a 1:34.893. Norris was fastest in Q1 with a 1:35.029, as Haas driver Esteban Ocon, Aston Martin's Lance Stroll, both Williams drivers and the Cadillac pair of Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas were eliminated. Leclerc was fastest in Q2 with a 1:34.198, and Alpine's Pierre Gasly missed Q3 by 0.022 seconds.
Three drivers carry grid penalties for using extra power-unit components: Lindblad drops five places to start 14th, Alpine's Franco Colapinto drops ten places to start 21st, and Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto goes to the back in 22nd. After penalties, the first two rows are Antonelli and Verstappen, then Hadjar and Leclerc, with Hamilton and Russell on row three.
Antonelli leads teammate Russell by 102 points in the championship with six rounds remaining including this one, making this the first weekend of the season on which the title could be clinched early. Antonelli starts from pole on Sunday while Russell starts sixth. The race runs over 56 laps on October 25 at the same circuit.
Related: Follow-Up: Leclerc Fastest in Second U.S. Grand Prix Practice, Antonelli Just 0.042s Back
Source: GSM · United States
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 安东内利驾驶梅赛德斯赛车参加2026赛季排位赛（资料照片）。Liauzh 摄，CC BY 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons 发布。/ Andrea Kimi Antonelli in his Mercedes during 2026-season qualifying (file photo). Photo by Liauzh, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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