Antonelli Takes US Grand Prix Pole, Can Clinch 2026 F1 Title in Austin

Kimi Antonelli put his Mercedes on pole position for the 2026 United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, posting a Q3 lap of 1:34.035 — 0.179 seconds clear of Max Verstappen. Isack Hadjar took third for Red Bull, just 0.036 seconds behind his teammate. It is Antonelli's seventh pole of the season.

Ferrari had set the pace throughout all three practice sessions, and Charles Leclerc put the team on top in Q2, continuing that form. Lando Norris had led Q1 for McLaren. In Q3, Leclerc finished fourth — only 0.017 seconds behind Hadjar — while Lewis Hamilton came fifth and George Russell sixth in the second Mercedes. Oscar Piastri qualified seventh for McLaren, while Norris dropped to eighth after his final lap was deleted for exceeding track limits.

Grid penalties reshuffled the order behind the top eight. Arvid Lindblad, Franco Colapinto and Gabriel Bortoleto all received power-unit penalties, promoting Liam Lawson, Pierre Gasly, Nico Hulkenberg, Fernando Alonso and Oliver Bearman up the starting order.

Antonelli heads into the race 102 points ahead of Russell and 111 clear of Hamilton, with six rounds remaining. Austin is the first weekend on which the championship can be decided: if Antonelli wins and Russell finishes ninth or lower while Hamilton finishes fifth or lower, he will be crowned 2026 world champion. The United States Grand Prix starts at 3pm local time, 4pm Eastern, 1pm Pacific and 8pm UK time.