Kimi Antonelli has taken pole for the Japanese Grand Prix. Fresh off his maiden triumph last week in China, the Mercedes driver doubled down with a scorching run that he himself lauded as ‘clean’. After trading blows with his teammate throughout free practice, Antonelli had the edge in qualifying and managed an imposing first lap that saw him take pole by over three tenths of a second. In contrast to the emotional scenes to which we were treated in Shanghai, the 19-year-old kept his composure and reinforced the need to stay focused ahead of the race tomorrow. Having voiced his desire to pursue the “ultimate goal” earlier this week, Antonelli has backed that up with this result.
An odds-on favourite for pole position, George Russell was simply unable to contend with his teammate throughout qualifying. After trailing his teammate by six tenths of a second in Q2, the championship leader said that there was “something missing here” and failed to trouble Antonelli in Q3. Even so, with race starts having proved critical so far this season, Russell is perfectly placed to challenge for the win tomorrow.
Behind him, it was McLaren who were able to capitalise on their solid form in free practice as Oscar Piastri took third, less than a tenth of a second behind Russell. Happy with his performance, Piastri will be hoping to get his 2026 campaign underway, having failed to start a race so far this season.
A force to be reckoned with throughout qualifying, Charles Leclerc briefly looked like a candidate for the front row. After going quickest in the first sector, a snap of oversteer out of Spoon Curve meant Leclerc was forced to settle for fourth. However, with Ferrari’s race starts having been hugely effective this season, Leclerc is still in the running for a good result.
Lando Norris was able to overcome his free practice woes to take fifth, one place ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who struggled to get on top of the SF26’s sudden oversteer.
Further back, Pierre Gasly has continued to reinforce his status as one of the best qualifiers in the midfield. He will start seventh, having made his second Q3 appearance of the season.
Isack Hadjar qualified eighth but admitted there were significant steps to be taken with regard to setup. Gabriel Bortoleto completed an impressive run to ninth ahead of Arvid Lindblad, who seemed unaffected by his teething trouble in free practice and knocked Max Verstappen out of Q3.
After changes were made to the RB22’s setup after practice, Verstappen complained of a lack of mid-corner rotation. His final lap in Q2 was only good enough for tenth, which left him at risk of a Q2 exit. Lindblad’s final run put him a tenth and a half clear of Verstappen, which relegated the four-time world champion to 11th. Having admitted to his and Red Bull’s current problems being more significant than those that hindered them last year, Verstappen looks set for yet another recover drive.
Behind him, Esteban Ocon outqualified his teammate for the first time this season in 12th, while Nico Hulkenberg was forced to play second fiddle to his teammate in 13th. Liam Lawson will line up 14th ahead of Franco Colapinto, Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon, who did little to hide his frustration at having been beaten by his teammate yet again.
A tricky first sector meant Ollie Bearman had to make do with 18th ahead of Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll.
It may be early days but having beaten his teammate in a straight fight for pole, it appears as though Antonelli is unwilling to play the role of a dutiful second driver. Should this form continue, we could have an absorbing intra team battle on our hands.
