Kimi Antonelli claimed a commanding pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix, leading a Mercedes front-row lockout ahead of teammate George Russell. The 19-year-old Italian delivered a superb lap at Suzuka, beating Russell by 0.298 seconds despite the Briton struggling with car setup issues.
Antonelli, in his second Formula One season, has now taken consecutive poles after winning the last round in China. He trails Russell by four points in the championship. “I’m super happy with the session,” Antonelli said. “I felt very good in the car and every run was improving.”
Max Verstappen endured a difficult afternoon, knocked out in Q2 and managing only 11th. The four-time world champion reported his Red Bull was “completely undriveable” and said he was “beyond frustration” with the car’s performance. “There are just a few parts in the car that are not working how they should,” Verstappen added.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri qualified third, more than three-tenths behind the Mercedes. Charles Leclerc took fourth for Ferrari, with teammate Lewis Hamilton sixth, while defending champion Lando Norris was fifth. Pierre Gasly qualified seventh for Alpine, followed by Isack Hadjar, Gabriel Bortoleto and Arvid Lindblad.
Russell admitted the team made a misstep in setup, saying the car “did not feel the same as it has in the whole weekend.” Antonelli now leads the championship battle heading into Sunday’s race, where a win would put him top of the standings for the first time.
