Kimi Antonelli secures pole position in Shanghai. The 19-year-old Italian in a Mercedes thus becomes the youngest driver in Formula 1 to start a Grand Prix from grid position 1.
14.03.2026, 09:35
14.03.2026, 10:27
SDA
On his best lap in the decisive phase of qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix, Antonelli was just over two tenths faster than team-mate and world championship leader George Russell. A good four hours after his victory in the sprint, the latter suffered technical problems with his Mercedes during the time chase and in the end had to be happy to be able to set a fast lap at all.
As a result, the Mercedes drivers will line up on the front row with both cars, as they did in the one-two victory at the season opener in Australia a week ago - albeit in reverse order. The two Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc will line up on the second row of the grid, followed by world champion Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in the McLaren.
Max Verstappen in the Red Bull kept his team-mate Isack Hadjar (9th) at bay, but the four-time champion still had to settle for 8th place on the grid behind Pierre Gasly (Alpine).
Kimi Antonelli achieved something historic with his drive to pole position. The Italian, who turns 20 on August 25, is now the youngest pole-setter in the 76-year history of the Formula 1 World Championship. He took over from Sebastian Vettel, who was 21 years and 73 days old when he started at the front in Monza in 2008.
Just under a year ago, Antonelli had already started from first place on the grid, but "only" in the sprint race in Miami.
