Kimi Antonelli, 19, takes youngest F1 pole in Shanghai

Kimi Antonelli became F1’s youngest-ever polesitter at 19, taking pole for the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai with a 1:32.064 on his final run after an earlier 1:32.322, edging Mercedes’ George Russell by 0.222 seconds.

Mercedes endured a fraught Q3: Russell reported a front‑wing issue and then suffered a no‑power stoppage at the exit of Turn 4, radioing about “massive engine braking” and saying “I cannot shift the gears, stuck in first.” He limped back to the pits where Mercedes power‑cycled the W17 and replaced the front wing; Russell returned with 2:06 remaining but could not better Antonelli’s time. Lewis Hamilton qualified third. Ferrari and McLaren drivers filled the second and third rows — Charles Leclerc improved on a late run but remained more than 0.3 seconds off pole, and Oscar Piastri qualified fifth, narrowly ahead of teammate Lando Norris.

The session featured disruptive incidents and very tight margins. Gabriel Bortoleto’s Q2 spin brought double‑waved yellows that affected late attempts, helping Isack Hadjar avoid elimination and preventing Arvid Lindblad and Esteban Ocon from mounting late challenges. Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon were among the early eliminations, while Fernando Alonso, Valtteri Bottas and Lance Stroll were also knocked out in the earlier rounds. Nico Hülkenberg missed Q3 by 0.002 seconds and Franco Colapinto by 0.005; Sergio Pérez was slowest in 22nd. Reports differed on Max Verstappen’s final place: some timing screens and outlets had him fourth after the fastest final sector, while other reports placed him eighth, nearly a second down on pole.