Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli secured pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, outpacing teammate George Russell who will start second despite setup struggles. Antonelli's strong performance continues his impressive start to the 2026 season, where he sits just four points behind Russell in the standings. Team principal Toto Wolff acknowledged a backfired adjustment left Russell facing challenges into Sunday's race.
Kimi Antonelli delivered a commanding performance throughout the Japanese Grand Prix weekend, claiming his second pole position of the season at Suzuka. The 19-year-old Mercedes driver, who won the Chinese Grand Prix last week, topped all practice sessions and held his nerve in qualifying to start ahead of George Russell on the front row. Antonelli currently holds 47 points, trailing championship leader Russell by four after Mercedes' dominant opening races, including victories in Australia and China for both drivers, plus the Chinese sprint for Russell. Antonelli described his session positively, saying, 'I had a really clean session. Felt good. I had a strong run one. And then from there on, I built the momentum.' He added that tweaks to aerobalance helped despite increasing wind, though a lock-up at Turn 11 marred his final lap. Russell, meanwhile, battled oversteer after a setup change ahead of qualifying. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff explained, 'We did a set-up tweak on the other side. Something we expected to have less impact than it had and it put the car on the nose, so too much oversteer and that made it very difficult for him.' Wolff noted they could not easily revert the changes, leaving Russell with a disadvantage for the race. 'It's probably the opposite. He needs to carry this into the race now, which is certainly a disadvantage but these things happen,' Wolff said. Sky Sports analysts praised Antonelli's consistency. Karun Chandhok said he had the 'upper hand' all weekend, while Jenson Button highlighted his calm driving: 'He's driving within himself, he's not overdriving.' Button also backed Russell's ability to handle the intra-team pressure, citing his experience against Lewis Hamilton. Bernie Collins added that the competition would keep Russell sharp.
