Antonelli Beats Verstappen to US Grand Prix Pole as Ferrari Falls Short. Hadjar completes the top three in Austin, while Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren experience contrasting fortunes in qualifying.
Kimi Antonelli secured pole position for the 2026 United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas, beating Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar as Ferrari failed to convert its encouraging practice pace into a front-row start.
The Mercedes driver delivered a lap of 1:34.035 in Q3, finishing 0.179 seconds ahead of Verstappen, with Hadjar completing the top three just 0.036 seconds behind his Red Bull teammate.
Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton qualified fourth and fifth for Ferrari, while George Russell could manage only sixth in the second Mercedes. Oscar Piastri took seventh for McLaren, ahead of teammate Lando Norris, whose final improvement was deleted.
Ferrari’s early promise fades in qualifying
Ferrari entered qualifying with considerable encouragement following a strong showing throughout practice. Leclerc had led the way during Friday’s running, while Hamilton topped the final practice session on Saturday.
That form initially carried into qualifying, with Leclerc setting an early benchmark of 1:35.200 in Q1. Verstappen came within 0.015 seconds of the Ferrari driver, while Hadjar was also close behind.
However, Norris ultimately finished Q1 fastest with a lap of 1:35.029, underlining the competitive nature of the session.
Ferrari remained firmly in contention during Q2. Hamilton briefly moved ahead of Leclerc with a 1:34.833 before Verstappen improved to 1:34.471.
Mercedes then entered the fight for the fastest time, with Russell recording a 1:34.305 and Antonelli immediately lowering the benchmark to 1:34.278.
Leclerc responded with a 1:34.198, ending Q2 at the top of the classification and keeping Ferrari’s hopes of pole position alive.
Antonelli delivers when it matters
The decisive moment came during the opening runs of Q3.
Russell recorded a 1:34.476, but Antonelli immediately established a substantial advantage over his teammate with a 1:34.035.
Verstappen moved into second place, 0.179 seconds behind the Italian, while Hadjar secured third with a 1:34.250.
Leclerc could manage fourth, and Hamilton ultimately improved to fifth, leaving both Ferrari drivers behind the Mercedes and Red Bull contenders.
The leading three remained unchanged during the final attempts. Antonelli was unable to improve on his initial lap, but neither Verstappen nor Hadjar could challenge his benchmark.
Russell finished sixth, 0.441 seconds behind his Mercedes teammate, continuing a difficult weekend in their direct comparison.
McLaren struggles as Norris loses final lap
McLaren also experienced a challenging session despite showing competitive pace at various stages.
Norris had topped Q1 and was just 0.068 seconds behind Verstappen during the opening runs of Q2, but the team was unable to translate that performance into a strong final qualifying result.
Piastri secured seventh in Q3 with a 1:34.803.
Norris briefly improved to sixth during his final attempt, but the lap time was subsequently deleted, dropping him to eighth in the classification.
Arvid Lindblad qualified ninth for Racing Bulls, while teammate Liam Lawson reached Q3 but did not set a lap time. Lawson is expected to start ninth following Lindblad’s five-place grid penalty.
Early exits and grid penalties
The first qualifying segment eliminated Esteban Ocon, Lance Stroll, Carlos Sainz, Alex Albon, Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas.
Fernando Alonso narrowly progressed into Q2 despite a small fire developing at the rear of his Aston Martin as he left the pits. He eventually qualified 15th.
Pierre Gasly, Nico Hülkenberg, Gabriel Bortoleto, Franco Colapinto, Alonso and Oliver Bearman were eliminated in Q2.
Grid penalties will also affect the final starting order. Lindblad faces a five-place drop, Colapinto a ten-place penalty, while Bortoleto is set to start from the back of the grid following multiple power-unit component changes beyond his permitted allocation.
For Antonelli, the result represents another important performance in a season that has placed him firmly at the centre of the championship battle.
With Verstappen and Hadjar immediately behind him and Ferrari occupying fourth and fifth, the Mercedes driver heads into Sunday’s United States Grand Prix from the strongest possible starting position.
2026 United States Grand Prix – Qualifying Results
| Pos. | Driver | Car | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes W17 | 1:35.390 | 1:34.278 | 1:34.035 |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull RBPT Ford RB22 | 1:35.215 | 1:34.471 | 1:34.214 |
| 3 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull RBPT Ford RB22 | 1:35.286 | 1:34.887 | 1:34.250 |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari SF-26 | 1:35.200 | 1:34.198 | 1:34.267 |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari SF-26 | 1:35.355 | 1:34.833 | 1:34.311 |
| 6 | George Russell | Mercedes W17 | 1:35.730 | 1:34.305 | 1:34.476 |
| 7 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes MCL40 | 1:35.842 | 1:34.818 | 1:34.803 |
| 8 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes MCL40 | 1:35.029 | 1:34.539 | 1:35.049 |
| 9 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls RBPT Ford VCARB 03 | 1:35.755 | 1:34.950 | 1:36.049 |
| 10 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls RBPT Ford VCARB 03 | 1:35.662 | 1:35.058 | — |
| 11 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Mercedes A526 | 1:35.969 | 1:35.080 | — |
| 12 | Nico Hülkenberg | Audi F1 R26 | 1:35.704 | 1:35.158 | — |
| 13 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi F1 R26 | 1:35.632 | 1:35.691 | — |
| 14 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine Mercedes A526 | 1:35.898 | 1:35.722 | — |
| 15 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Honda AMR26 | 1:36.240 | 1:35.818 | — |
| 16 | Oliver Bearman | Haas Ferrari VF-26 | 1:36.175 | 1:36.031 | — |
| 17 | Esteban Ocon | Haas Ferrari VF-26 | 1:36.531 | — | — |
| 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Honda AMR26 | 1:36.677 | — | — |
| 19 | Carlos Sainz | Williams Mercedes FW48 | 1:36.770 | — | — |
| 20 | Alex Albon | Williams Mercedes FW48 | 1:36.967 | — | — |
| 21 | Sergio Pérez | Cadillac Ferrari MAC-26 | 1:37.433 | — | — |
| 22 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac Ferrari MAC-26 | 1:37.523 | — | — |
