Kimi Antonelli claimed a commanding pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix, leading a Mercedes front-row lockout ahead of teammate George Russell at Suzuka. The 19-year-old Italian delivered a lap of 1min 28.778sec, beating Russell by 0.298 seconds, to secure his second consecutive pole after winning in China.
Antonelli, in only his second Formula One season, demonstrated remarkable composure on the demanding circuit. “I’m super happy with the session, it was a good one, it was a clean one,” he said. “I felt very good in the car and every run was improving.” He trails Russell by four points in the championship and could take the lead with a win on Sunday.
Max Verstappen endured a difficult session, qualifying only 11th after his Red Bull suffered a sudden loss of drivability. “I think there’s something wrong with the car,” he told his engineer. “It’s completely undriveable suddenly in this qualifying.” The four-time world champion added: “I’m not even frustrated any more. I’m beyond that.”
Behind the Mercedes duo, Oscar Piastri took third for McLaren, more than three-tenths off the pace. Charles Leclerc was fourth for Ferrari, with Lando Norris fifth and Lewis Hamilton sixth. Pierre Gasly qualified seventh for Alpine, while rookie Arvid Lindblad took 10th for Red Bull.
Russell admitted setup issues hampered his performance. “We made an adjustment going into qualifying and the car just did not feel the same,” he said. “The rear was trying to step out on me throughout.” Despite this, he secured a front-row start and expects a fierce battle into the first corner.
