Kimi Antonelli secured pole position for the 2026 United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of The Americas, setting a best lap time of 1:34.035 during the qualifying session on October 24. This marks his seventh pole of the season, edging out Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen by just 0.179 seconds, with Isack Hadjar completing the top three.
The qualifying session was marked by challenging windy conditions, which Antonelli highlighted as a factor during Q3. Despite this, the Mercedes AMG driver managed to deliver a strong lap that kept him ahead of the competition. Verstappen and Hadjar, both representing Red Bull Racing, showed solid pace but ultimately fell short of Antonelli’s benchmark.
Following Antonelli, Verstappen, and Hadjar, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton qualified fourth and fifth respectively. George Russell secured sixth place, while McLaren’s Oscar Piastri took seventh after his teammate Lando Norris had a lap time deleted for exceeding track limits, which dropped Norris to eighth. Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson rounded out the top ten, although Lindblad will face a five-place grid penalty for exceeding his engine allocation.
Several drivers received grid penalties due to power unit changes, including Franco Colapinto, who was handed a 10-place drop, and Gabriel Bortoleto, who faced penalties for multiple component changes. Track limits played a significant role throughout qualifying, with numerous lap times deleted as drivers pushed the boundaries to improve their grid positions.
Antonelli acknowledged the strong challenge posed by Verstappen and Hadjar, noting that the windy conditions made it difficult to extract the maximum performance during the final phase of qualifying. His pole position lap demonstrated both precision and adaptability under these conditions, reinforcing his consistent qualifying form this season.
The 2026 United States Grand Prix is scheduled to start at 15:00 local time on October 25 at the Circuit of The Americas. The qualifying results set the stage for what promises to be a competitive race, with several drivers facing grid penalties that could influence the starting order and race strategies.