KIMI ANTONELLI TAKES HISTORIC POLE POSITION IN CHINA
Kimi Antonelli made Formula 1 history in qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix by taking the first pole position of his career. The 19-year-old Mercedes driver became the youngest pole sitter in Formula 1 history, delivering an impressive performance in Shanghai.
His teammate George Russell completed a Mercedes front row despite experiencing technical problems during the final session. Ferrari secured the second row with Lewis Hamilton in third and Charles Leclerc in fourth, while the two McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris followed in fifth and sixth.
Further down the top ten were Pierre Gasly in seventh for Alpine, the two Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar, and Oliver Bearman closing the top ten.
Q1 – Mercedes leads
Qualifying began with most drivers using soft tyres for their first laps. Mercedes quickly showed strong pace, with Russell setting the fastest time ahead of Antonelli.
Ferrari initially tried a different strategy, sending Hamilton out on used tyres. The British driver struggled during his first attempt but improved once he switched to a fresh set of soft tyres. Leclerc briefly went fastest before the Mercedes drivers responded.
McLaren remained close but a few tenths behind the leaders, while Verstappen recovered after a slow start to move into the top group.
At the end of Q1 several teams were eliminated, including both Aston Martins, the Cadillac cars and the Williams drivers.
Q2 – Tight fight at the top
The second part of qualifying saw a close battle between Mercedes and Ferrari. Russell set the early benchmark, followed by Hamilton and Leclerc.
Later in the session Antonelli produced an excellent lap to move to the top of the timesheets ahead of Leclerc and Russell. Verstappen continued to struggle and was unable to match the pace of the leading teams.
Near the end of Q2 there was a small incident when Gabriel Bortoleto lost control of his Audi and ran into the gravel. He managed to return to the track, but the yellow flags prevented most drivers from improving their times.
Several midfield drivers were eliminated, including Nico Hülkenberg and Esteban Ocon.
Q3 – Antonelli secures pole despite drama for Russell
The final session produced the biggest moment of the day. Russell’s Mercedes suffered technical problems after a front-wing change, and the British driver briefly stopped on track after getting stuck in first gear. He returned to the pits while the team worked quickly to fix the issue.
Meanwhile Antonelli delivered a brilliant lap that put him at the top of the timesheets, three tenths faster than Leclerc and more than six tenths ahead of Hamilton at that moment.
McLaren tried to challenge with Piastri and Norris, but neither could match Antonelli’s pace.
In the final moments Russell managed to get back on track and complete one last lap, which was good enough for second place behind his teammate.
Antonelli therefore secured pole position, with Russell alongside him on the front row. Ferrari locked out the second row with Hamilton third and Leclerc fourth, setting up an exciting race for the Chinese Grand Prix.
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