Key events
Giles Richards’ report
And here is Giles’s verdict:
Antonelli’s first pole since the Belgian GP in July could not have been better timed as he attempts to take his first title. The Italian has a 102-point lead over Russell and needs to be 125 points in front after this race. To take the title he must win on Sunday and have Russell finish outside the top eight, with Hamilton outside the top four. The win certainly looks to be a strong prospect but he still needs his rivals to stumble somewhat on Sunday.
He can only do his best and knows that even should the title not be secured here, on this form it will surely be done and dusted by the next round in Mexico.
The top 10 times
Right, Giles Richards’ report will be here shortly. Here’s the top 10, with times:
1 Kimi Antonelli 🇮🇹 Mercedes 1:34.035
2 Max Verstappen 🇳🇱 Red Bull +0.179
3 Isack Hadjar 🇫🇷 Red Bull +0.215
4 Charles Leclerc 🇲🇨 Ferrari +0.232
5 Lewis Hamilton 🇬🇧 Ferrari +0.276
6 George Russell 🇬🇧 Mercedes +0.441
7 Oscar Piastri 🇦🇺 McLaren +0.768
8 Lando Norris 🇬🇧 McLaren +1.014
9 Arvid Lindblad 🇬🇧 Racing Bulls +2.014
10 Liam Lawson 🇳🇿 Racing Bulls no time
Tom Lutz will be with you for the race tomorrow, which starts at 3pm local time, 4pm eastern, and 8pm GMT, as the clocks change in the UK but not yet the US.
Lando Norris is “not very happy with myself”. He says he did he “a terrible job today”. Says it is the hardest car he has driven but that it was still good enough for P2. He refused to blame the weather for having his best time deleted.
Hamilton speaks, asked about the second sector. “Q1 and Q2 were really good … we didn’t make any changes. Those guys just took another step. A great lap by Kimi … Our cars are as good as those in the corners but we lose in the straights.”
Davidson looking at Antonelli and Verstappen side by side. A tiny error from the Dutchman at turn 11. Verstappen really struggling at 15.
“Q3 was very difficult … a gust of wind … but the same for everyone.” He says it will be tough against Verstappen. “Yesterday Red Bull had a lot of pace in a long run.”
More Antonelli. What was key to that pole? “One of the keys was not doing any track limits … in a couple of races … I’ve put myself under more pressure.”
“We’re not talking about that … it’s not realistic,” Wolff says about Antonelli winning the title tomorrow. It’s all abiut getting points for the constructors’ championship, apparently. What’s the Austrian-German idiom for pull the other one?
Wolff addresses Russell’s situation, “an absolutely world-class driver”. Basically the car is there, and Russell needs to point himself in the right direction.
Jenson Button talks of Antonelli’s emotion at taking pole. Wolff says: “We know how important it is to find out what went wrong with the upgrade … and now we see that the car is there.” This all bodes well for 2027.
Toto Wolff discusses pole: “It’s a little bit of a surprise … I told [a guest] something between P3 and P5. Now he thinks I am totally incompetent.”
Anthony Davidson showing the difficulty of those final laps when the wind got up.
Fred Vasseur a bit mystified by Ferrari’s problems.
It’s very much possible. Antonelli’s first pole for eight races has come at the perfect time. Naomi Schiff is trying to work out the percentage chances of him winning this weekend, saying that the Sky panel were saying it was 4-5% pre-qualifying.
The equation: Antonelli 1st + Russell ≠ <9th + Hamilton ≠ <5th.
And here is Kimi. “We’ve got pole so we’ll try to win … but Max has been very quick. We’ll try to lead into turn one.” Again he references the wind. So that seems to be part of the explanation for what we saw generally, but what will Ferrari say?
Now Verstappen. “Q3 was not good … for whatever reason, did not have good balance.” Like Hadjar, he cites the wind as a factor on the final lap.
Hadjar, in P3, speaks: “I’m happy with P3 because it’s been incredibly hard this weekend … I have been hard on the team so want to apologise.’
Quite remarkable from Antonelli.
Maybe I should give up on the prediction game. If Antonelli is to be champion this weekend then he has got just what he needed. A strange Q3, with little improvement and Ferrari dropping away.
Kimi Antonelli takes pole!
The man-boy who would be king has that pole position, in 1:34.035! Verstappen, Hadjar, Leclerc, Hamilton, Russell, Piastri, Norris – his fastest lap time deleted – Lindblad and Lawson.
Leclerc only fourth, Hamilton fifth ahead of Russell, who then gets dropped further by Norris.
Antonelli goes slower but is still on pole.
Crunch time. Russell goes through in fifth still.
Ferrari are baffled. Where has their pace gone?
Everyone in the pits. Liam Lawson is sitting this sesssion out, saving tyres: he can’t crack the top eight and a penalty means he will be ahead of his teammate Lindblad.
Antonelli, the man of the moment, has that provisional pole.
Leclerc runs fourth, +0.301, with Hamilton down in sixth.
The Red Bull pair then split the Mercedes.
George Russell sets a target of 1:34.035, but Antonelli beats him by 0.441.
And we’re off again.
Antonelli was just 0.080 behind Leclerc, with Russell at +0.107.
Q2 eliminations
Out go Gasly, Hulkenberg, Bortoleto, Colapinto, Alonso and Bearman.
So Verstappen and Norris knocked down to fourth and fifth at the end. But for them it’s all about Q3.
A lovely lap from Russell, goes fastest but is pipped first by Antonelli and then Leclerc in 1:34.198.
Most drivers out but not Verstappen and Norris, our leaders.
Everyone in the pits.
The drop zone is shaping up as Lindblad, Gasly, Colapinto, Bearman, Alonso and Bortoleto.
Norris breaks things up, second fastest by 0.068. Antonelli third at +0.285, followed by Russell in +0.309. Russell was complaining earlier that he was rather too literally in the hot seat.
Red Bull first and third, with Hadjar also beating Leclerc.
Hamilton puts in a 1:34.471, pipping Leclerc by 0.555, but then Verstappen gets a 1:34.471!
Zak Brown of McLaren says that the wind is getting up and making for more track limit problems.
Here we go for Q2. Leclerc and Hamilton among the early runners.
Anthony Davidson looking at Williams’s problems. They are faster on the straights than Ferrari but being massacred at the corners. A very disappointing 2026.
Ted Kravitz is at Aston Martin and says he heard what sounded like fireworks from Alonso’s car …
Fernando Alonso made Q2 in 16th but reports some mild flames – oil on the exhaust, David Croft wonders.
Q1 eliminations
Out go Ocon, Stroll, Sainz, Albon, Perez and Bottas.
Norris goes fastest! 1:35.029, that’s impressive.
Gasly gets out, going up to 12th. Stroll pushed down.
A word, though, for Liam Lawson. He is running seventh at +0.462. He has thoroughly justified his place this season after his abrupt demotion last year.
