Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli claimed pole position for the 2026 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka with a lap of 1:28.778, outpacing teammate George Russell by 0.298 seconds for a front-row lockout. The 19-year-old's second consecutive pole followed China, while Max Verstappen was eliminated in Q2 in 11th after car issues.
Kimi Antonelli dominated qualifying at Suzuka on Saturday, securing pole for round three of the 2026 Formula 1 season. The Italian teen set the fastest Q3 time of 1:28.778, beating Russell by three tenths despite matching early sectors, and enforcing a six-tenths edge in Q2. Oscar Piastri took third for McLaren, ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc fourth and McLaren's Lando Norris fifth, with Lewis Hamilton sixth.
Alpine's Pierre Gasly impressed in seventh, followed by Red Bull's Isack Hadjar eighth, Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto ninth, and Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad tenth after a late lap bumped Max Verstappen to 11th. Verstappen vented frustration over the radio: 'I think there is something wrong with the car mate, it’s completely undriveable suddenly in this qualifying. Jumping on high speed in the rear suddenly.' He had earlier called it 'completely undriveable,' ending his streak of four consecutive poles at Japan.
The FIA tweaked rules for Suzuka, reducing maximum energy recharge from 9.0 MJ to 8.0 MJ to limit super clipping into corners like Degner Curve, tightening the field. Cadillac's Sergio Pérez struggled, colliding with Williams' Alex Albon in FP1 and exiting Q1 in 19th—his third poor start (16th Australia, 15th China)—ahead of teammate Valtteri Bottas (20th). Williams took 16th (Carlos Sainz) and 17th (Albon), with Albon quipping: 'I complain for three races in a row that there’s something wrong, but I’m sure that it’s my driving style.' Aston Martin languished last in 21st (Fernando Alonso) and 22nd (Lance Stroll), three seconds off pole.
Full provisional grid:
1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
2. George Russell (Mercedes)
3. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
5. Lando Norris (McLaren)
6. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
7. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
8. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
9. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
10. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
11. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
12. Esteban Ocon (Haas)
13. Nico Hülkenberg (Audi)
14. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
15. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
16. Carlos Sainz (Williams)
17. Alex Albon (Williams)
18. Oliver Bearman (Haas)
19. Sergio Pérez (Cadillac)
20. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)
21. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
22. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
The 53-lap race over Suzuka's 5.807 km, with its demanding 'S' curves, Degner, and 130R, starts Sunday.
