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The 19-year-old Italian, Antonelli bettered the record of Sebastian Vettel, who was 21 when he took pole for the Italian Grand Prix in 2008.
Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy waits for the first practice session to start ahead of the Chinese Formula One Grand Prix, in Shanghai, China, Friday, March 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli clinched pole position for the Chinese Grand Prix to become the youngest to accomplish the feat in the history of Formula One racing.
The 19-year-old Italian, Antonelli, led a Mercedes front-row lockout along with teammate George Russell, to better the record of Sebastian Vettel, who was 21 when he took pole for the Italian Grand Prix in 2008.
The Mercedes team, much like in Australia last weekend, showcased their dominance in Shanghai.
Antonelli clocked a blistering time of 1min 32.064sec on his final qualifying lap, outpacing championship leader Russell by 0.222sec, who had earlier triumphed in the sprint race.
“It was a pretty clean session,” said Antonelli. “No mistakes and looking forward to the race tomorrow.”
Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc secured the second row of the grid for Sunday’s race by qualifying third and fourth.
Next, on a two-by-two grid, came the McLarens of Oscar Piastri and world champion Lando Norris.
Max Verstappen managed only the eighth fastest time, continuing a challenging weekend for Red Bull.
Pierre Gasly placed seventh in the Alpine, while Isack Hadjar’s Red Bull and Oliver Bearman’s Haas rounded out the top 10.
Russell encountered trouble in Q3, getting stuck in gear on his out lap and having to return to the pits.
After the issue was resolved, he had time for just one flying lap and couldn’t surpass his teammate.
“Really happy for George who had an issue there,” said Antonelli about his teammate.
Russell expressed relief at setting a lap time right at the end of the session.
“Definitely damage limitation,” said Russell.
“In Q2 the front wing broke, and then in Q3, I stopped out on track and couldn’t change gear,” he said.
“On the last lap, I had no battery, no tyre temp, or anything. The team did a really good job. Just really happy to be standing here. It could’ve been much worse.”
Ferrari has been quick off the mark at the start of races, and Hamilton said he would be eyeing the two Mercedes ahead of him on Sunday.
“I’m sure we’ll have some fun, I’m looking forward to it,” said the seven-time world champion.
The six drivers who failed to make it into the top-10 shootout for pole position were Nico Hulkenberg in an Audi, Franco Colapinto’s Alpine, Esteban Ocon (Haas), Racing Bulls drivers Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad, and Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi).
Eliminated in Q1 were the Williams pair of Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon, both Aston Martins driven by Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, and the two Cadillacs driven by Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez.
Earlier, Russell won a thrilling sprint race after a back-and-forth battle in the opening laps with Hamilton, who eventually finished third behind Leclerc.
This victory allowed the Mercedes driver, who also won the opening race in Australia, to extend his championship lead to 11 points over teammate Antonelli and Leclerc. Hamilton is a further four points behind.
Sunday’s grand prix will be contested over 56 laps of the 5.451km Shanghai International Circuit.
March 14, 2026, 2:04 PM IST
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