Kimi Antonelli secures pole for US Grand Prix ahead of title-deciding race

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli recorded the fastest lap in qualifying for the United States Grand Prix, edging Red Bull's Max Verstappen by 0.179 seconds. The 20-year-old Italian will start from pole, while Verstappen will line up second, Isack Hadjar third, and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc fourth. Lewis Hamilton qualified fifth and teammate George Russell sixth.

"Q1 and Q2 felt really strong – we were right there in the fight. The car was just as good, we didn't make any changes and it was a really good lap in Q3, but those guys just somehow took another step," Hamilton told Sky Sports.

"Qualifying was looking OK to be honest until we got to Q3 – I did two bad laps. I think I could've been up there in the top three – my Q2 lap was two-and-a-half tenths quicker than Q3 – but obviously isn't good enough from my side," Russell said.

"Q3 was not good. Q1 and Q2 was nice, but then, for whatever reason, on both sets I just didn't have a good balance. There were no mistakes, but just no grip," Verstappen explained.

"We got pole so we'll try to win for tomorrow. Max Verstappen has been very quick, he also did an incredible job in qualifying. It's not going to be easy but we'll try to get a good start and lead into Turn One and then we'll try to set the pace even though it's going to be very tight," Antonelli said.

Leclerc noted that tyre performance and changing track conditions affected Ferrari's pace in the final session. Hadjar expressed satisfaction with his third-place start despite earlier difficulties. The race is scheduled for Sunday, with the pole sitter needing a strong start and race pace to keep his championship hopes alive.