Championship frontrunner Kimi Antonelli secured his seventh pole of 2026 at the United States Grand Prix, edging out Max Verstappen in a nail‑biting Austin qualifying.
He posted a 1:34.035 lap on his first Q3 run, beating Red Bull duo Verstappen and Isack Hadjar by roughly two‑tenths, while most rivals failed to improve.
The pole snapped Verstappen’s streak, marking Antonelli’s first pole since the summer break and halting the weekend’s pattern of Red Bull and Ferrari edging Mercedes on the 5.5‑km circuit.
After a strong practice and leading Q2, Charles Leclerc could only manage fourth when it mattered, with teammate Lewis Hamilton slotting into fifth.
George Russell’s sixth place was underwhelming, especially as McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris fell two spots after Norris’s final lap was deleted for exceeding track limits.
Racing Bulls teammates Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson boosted their squad’s push for fifth in the championship.
Facing a five‑place grid drop for a new engine, Lindblad took the penalty while Lawson sat out Q3 to protect his teammate; Lawson will start ninth, Lindblad from 14th.
Q2 – Ferrari fastest
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Leclerc topped Q2 with a 1:34.198 on his second attempt, outpacing Antonelli, Russell and an early benchmark set by Verstappen.
The fight for the remaining Q3 slots saw Piastri scramble for a solid first lap, eventually climbing to sixth after a second run; Lindblad and Lawson posted late improvements to break into the top ten, ousting Alpine and Audi.
Pierre Gasly missed the cut by just 0.022 seconds for Alpine, ahead of Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto; Franco Colapinto, Fernando Alonso and Oliver Bearman were also eliminated, with Bearman’s 13th‑fastest lap erased for a Turn 11 track‑limit breach.
Bortoleto will start at the back after taking a new Audi power unit, but he reached Q2 to give Hulkenberg a slipstream on COTA’s long straight; Alpine’s Colapinto receives a ten‑place grid penalty for new engine‑control electronics, joining Bortoleto on Sunday’s rear row.
Q1 – Double Williams exit as Norris tops
Lando Norris, McLaren
Norris led a tight Q1, clocking 1:35.029, while the reigning champion ran twice to secure his place, topping the four Ferraris and Red Bulls.
Behind them, Antonelli and Russell, plus McLaren’s second car Piastri, progressed on medium tyres, conserving a set of softs.
Alonso’s impressive 1:36.240 lap carried him into Q2 in 16th, edging out Haas’s Esteban Ocon and teammate Lance Stroll, who complained of rear‑grip loss.
Aston Martin’s gain pushed Williams to the slowest team outside newcomer Cadillac; Carlos Sainz led a frustrated Alex Albon in 19th, while Sergio Perez, now 21st, again outpaced Cadillac mate Valtteri Bottas.
F1 United States GP results – Qualifying
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– The Team