Kimi Antonelli rewrote the Formula One history books on Saturday in Shanghai, becoming the youngest driver ever to secure pole position for a full F1 Grand Prix. The 19-year-old Mercedes driver posted a lap of 1:32.064 at the Chinese Grand Prix, beating teammate George Russell by 0.222 seconds to hand the Silver Arrows a front-row lockout heading into Sunday’s race.
Antonelli’s feat breaks a record that had stood for 17 years. Sebastian Vettel was 21 when he took his first F1 pole in 2008.
Russell will line up second despite a tense final qualifying session. His car shed battery power and lost gears mid-run, forcing him to stop briefly on track before nursing the car back to the pits. Mercedes mechanics resolved the problem in time for him to complete a quick enough lap to hold second.
Lewis Hamilton qualified third for Ferrari, with Charles Leclerc right behind in fourth. The result came a day after Russell had won the Sprint race in Shanghai, giving Mercedes a strong platform heading into the Grand Prix.
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris took fifth and sixth. Pierre Gasly qualified seventh for Alpine. Max Verstappen had a difficult session, ending up eighth for Red Bull, one place ahead of his teammate Isack Hadjar. Oliver Bearman completed the top ten for Haas.
Chinese Grand Prix — Qualifying Results
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:32.064 |
| 2 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:32.286 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:32.415 |
| 4 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:32.428 |
| 5 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:32.550 |
| 6 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:32.608 |
| 7 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | 1:32.873 |
| 8 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:33.002 |
| 9 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | 1:33.121 |
| 10 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 1:33.292 |
With inputs from agencies
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