Young Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli secures a historic first pole at the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix, taking advantage of the problems encountered by George Russell in Q3.
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After the sprint won by George Russell in the morning, the classic Saturday qualifying session took place under bright sunshine with temperatures of 17°C in the air and 31°C on the track. Teams were able to adjust their cars following the reopening of the parc fermé, which promised close battles from Q1.
As expected, the first part of the session was dominated by Mercedes and Ferrari. The majority of drivers opted for soft tires, while Hamilton and the Red Bulls started with mediums. Oscar Piastri quickly set the tone, but Russell and Hamilton then took control with lap times well ahead of the rest of the field. At the end of this round, Sainz, Albon, Alonso, Bottas, Stroll and Pérez were eliminated.
Q2: Qualifying to the millimeter
Q2 offered new tensions, with Russell imposing a very high pace from his first lap. The Ferrari drivers slotted in between the Mercedes, while Verstappen, on new tires, remained more than half a second behind.
Isack Hadjar was nearly eliminated, narrowly qualifying for Q3 thanks to a down-to-the-wire performance, beating Nico Hülkenberg and Franco Colapinto by only a few thousandths. Q2 was also marked by a scare for Gabriel Bortoleto, who lightly touched the barriers, triggering a yellow flag.
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Eliminated in Q2: Hülkenberg, Colapinto, Ocon, Lawson, Lindblad and Bortoleto.
Q3: Antonelli profits from Russell’s chaos
The final part of the session was decisive. Russell suffered a real blow, stopping shortly after Turn 3 due to gearbox and wing problems, while his teammate Antonelli perfectly exploited the opportunity. From his first lap, Antonelli set an impressive time, three tenths ahead of Hamilton and nearly seven tenths ahead of Leclerc, while the McLarens positioned themselves between the leaders.
On his final attempt, Antonelli improved his time by another three tenths, sealing pole by 0″222 ahead of Hamilton and Leclerc. Russell, despite all efforts to return to the track, could not challenge the performance of his young teammate.
A historic pole for Antonelli
At just 19 years old, Kimi Antonelli becomes the youngest poleman in the history of Formula 1, offering an unexpected scenario for the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix. The session highlighted the importance of incident management and consistency in Q3, transforming a problem for Russell into an opportunity for the Mercedes rookie.
Sunday’s race promises to be thrilling, with Antonelli in an ideal position to confirm this brilliant performance and challenge Ferrari and Mercedes on the Shanghai circuit.
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2026 F1 Chinese GP Qualifying Classification:
