At just 19 years old, Kimi Antonelli becomes the youngest pole-sitter in F1 history thanks to an impeccable session at the Chinese Grand Prix.
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Kimi Antonelli explains that the key to this record pole was to “stay focused and calm” despite the problems encountered by his teammate George Russell at the start of Q3. After securing a provisional first position, the young Mercedes driver improved his time to 1’32’’064, a time that will remain untouchable.
Russell was only able to complete one lap in the final part of the session, after a scare earlier, and finished 0’’222 behind Antonelli. The Italian rookie thus transforms a chaotic situation for Mercedes into an opportunity to make history.
A historic record for F1
At 19 years, 6 months and 18 days, Antonelli breaks the previous record held by Sebastian Vettel, aged 21 years and 2 months at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix. This performance also makes him the first Italian driver to take a pole in the World Championship since Giancarlo Fisichella in Belgium in 2009, and the 49th pole for an Italian driver in F1 history.
Antonelli was delighted with his performance: “Yes, it was a pretty clean session, so I’m really happy. George had a problem, it would have been cool to see him with two attempts, but the session went very well. No mistakes, so I’m looking forward to the race.”
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The Mercedes driver insists on the importance of concentration : “I saw that George had an issue, but I just tried to stay focused, calm and put in a good lap, which I did at the end.”
An opportunity to confirm in the race
This historic pole position gives Antonelli an ideal spot for Sunday, on a Shanghai circuit where traffic and tire management will be crucial. The performance also highlights the maturity of the young driver in a complex F1 environment, capable of turning an unexpected event into success.
With this new record, the race promises to be thrilling, and Antonelli could become not only the youngest pole-sitter, but also the first Italian to convert this performance into a Grand Prix victory in over ten years.
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