Kimi Antonelli has snatched pole for the 2026 United States Grand Prix. After trailing the Ferraris and struggling with a faulty seat in free practice, the championship leader’s initial Q3 effort was enough to secure his seventh career pole by 0.169s. If he converts this into a win, Antonelli will become the youngest-ever world champion, provided Lewis Hamilton finishes fifth or lower, and his teammate finishes no higher than ninth.
Behind him, Max Verstappen overcame his setup issues in free practice to secure second. Verstappen later said he couldn't explain the time loss to Antonelli and cited increased tailwinds as a possible factor. Even so, Verstappen is well placed to attack Antonelli off the start, and if his track record at the Circuit of the Americas is any guide (four wins and three further podiums), the four-time world champion will be worth watching once the lights go out. Isack Hadjar underlined Red Bull’s strong pace by matching his best-ever qualifying performance to take third.
After setting the pace throughout free practice and topping all three sessions, Ferrari endured a sudden drop in pace during qualifying. Charles Leclerc’s best lap was only good enough for fourth, one place ahead of his teammate Lewis Hamilton. Leclerc later attributed the lack of one-lap pace to a slight change in track temperatures, which didn't suit the SF-26’s narrow setup window.
George Russell again couldn't match his teammate and qualified sixth. Should he hold this position in the race, the flickering title fight will carry on to Mexico.
McLaren was arguably the weakest of the top four teams in qualifying. Despite no major incidents, Oscar Piastri could only manage seventh, one place ahead of his teammate Lando Norris.
By Contrast, RB continued to establish itself as the strongest midfield contender. Arvid Lindblad’s best efforts earned him ninth, though he will take a five-place grid penalty for exceeding his power-unit quota for the season. His teammate Liam Lawson snuck into Q3 and will take Lindblad’s ninth-place grid slot.
Pierre Gasly qualified 11th ahead of the Audi pair of Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortoleto, who will start from the back having taken multiple fresh power unit components. Franco Colapinto qualified 14th but has received a ten-place grid penalty for taking a new electronics unit.
Fernando Alonso (who survived a brief fire and made it into Q2) qualified 15th ahead of Ollie Bearman, Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll, Carlos Sainz, Alex Albon, Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas.
Antonelli arrives in Austin as the champion-elect. However, with Verstappen hungry for wins and Russell keen to keep the champagne on ice for a little longer, the Mercedes driver will have plenty to think about once the lights go out on race day.
