- Antonelli makes F1 history as the youngest-ever pole sitter at the Chinese GP.
- Mercedes secures front-row lockout despite Russell battling engine issues in Q3.
- The 19-year-old outpaced his teammate by 0.222s to claim career-first F1 pole.
Kimi Antonelli made F1 history as he became the youngest driver to claim pole at the Chinese Grand Prix 2026. He was 0.222s faster than teammate George Russell.
Initially, Russell appeared to have high chances of becoming the pole sitter, but a massive engine braking issue held him back during the initial part of Q3, making him reappear only during the final moments.
Despite the momentary setback, he secured second position on the grid, making it a whole front-row Mercedes lockout. The Toto Wolff-led team will be followed by the two Ferraris and McLaren tomorrow at the final race at the Shanghai International Circuit.
Analysing Antonelli’s performance in all qualifying sessions
Q1 session: While the front row was initially set by the McLaren drivers, the Mercedes duo appeared with nine minutes left for qualifying to end.
At first, Antonelli took pole, with Russell overthrowing him to take the lead with a 1:33.262 lap time, putting a 0.043-second gap between them. Charles Leclerc ended on pole as the session concluded under a yellow flag.
Q2 session: Initially, Antonelli set a lap of 1:32.950, with Russell taking the lead once again, going four-tenths faster. At some point, Leclerc stole the pole position, with the two Mercedes drivers still on their flying laps.
Amid all the position switches in the session, it concluded with Antonelli at the front with a lap of 1.32.443. Russell had a hard time improving his lap as he faced a “major understeer” problem. Russell also mentioned that he has an issue with his front wing.
Q3 session: Following the reported issues by Russell, the team changed his front wing. Once out on the lap, Russell’s Mercedes came to a halt, and on the radio, he revealed that something wasn’t right with the car.
He also reported “massive engine braking” and not being able to shift gears. He went back into the pits, with Antonelli setting the fastest lap. Meanwhile, Ferrari and McLaren tried their best to take advantage of the situation, putting their cars behind Antonelli.
George rejoined the session during the final moments, which put him in 2nd position. This marked a significant moment in Antonelli’s F1 career, which started last year.
A brief summary of Antonelli’s F1 career
Antonelli made his Formula 1 debut in 2025 at the Australian Grand Prix, when he was just 18 years old. He replaced Lewis Hamilton, who then joined Ferrari.
He received three podiums last year without a victory. His first-ever podium was at the Canadian Grand Prix, followed by São Paulo and Las Vegas. He ended up 7th in the Drivers’ Championship, garnering 150 points.
