Antonelli clinches pole for US Grand Prix, eyes title on Sunday

Kimi Antonelli claimed pole for the United States Grand Prix in Austin, edging Red Bull's Max Verstappen by 0.179 seconds. Mercedes teammate Isack Hadjar completed the top three, followed by Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and former champion Lewis Hamilton.

The 20-year-old Italian, who last topped qualifying at the Belgian Grand Prix, said the result felt good and that the team would aim to convert the pole into a race win. He added that Max Verstappen had been very quick and that the competition would be tough.

"We got pole so we will try to win tomorrow but Max has been very quick and Isack did an incredible job so it is not going to be easy," Antonelli said.

Verstappen acknowledged a lack of grip in the final qualifying session, noting that his earlier runs had been stronger.

"Q3 was not good, Q1, Q2 were nice but for whatever reason in run one and two just didn't have a nice balance. No mistakes, just not enough grip. But if it's still a P2, I take it," he said.

Hadjar finished just 0.036 seconds behind Antonelli, while the Ferraris, which had led all three practice sessions, fell back in the final stage. Leclerc was 0.232 seconds off the pole and edged Hamilton by 0.044 seconds.

"Just tyres were so difficult to put in the right window and as soon as the track is getting a tiny bit cooler we suffer from it massively," Leclerc explained.

McLaren's George Russell qualified sixth, five places behind Hamilton, and said mistakes in the final segment prevented a higher grid position. Lando Norris, whose best lap was deleted for exceeding track limits, expressed disappointment with his performance.

"Not great. Just difficult. The car was the best it's felt but I just did a crap job," Norris said.

The Racing Bulls of Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson took ninth and tenth places, though Lawson will serve a five-place grid penalty for exceeding engine component limits. Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso qualified 14th, describing the team's pace as a "pleasant surprise," and will start 12th after penalties affecting other drivers.

If Antonelli wins the race and finishes ahead of Hamilton (currently fifth) and Russell (sixth), he will secure his first world championship on Sunday.