Kimi Antonelli became the youngest pole-sitter in the history of Formula 1 in a dramatic qualifying session for the Chinese Grand Prix on Saturday (March 14).
Antonelli does so at just 19 years old. The previous record holder was Sebastian Vettel, who scored his first pole at age 21 at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix. Vettel was able to convert his surprise pole into a surprise victory; the jury is still out on if Antonelli can do the same.
George Russell, who had been on top of every single competitive session in F1 this season, had some sort of mechanical or hydraulic issue in his Mercedes at the start of Q3.
Russell was able to just get out on the racetrack to make a lap at the very end of the round, but could only qualify second. Lewis Hamilton qualified in third.
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“I saw he had the issue,” Antonelli said. “But I was just trying to keep my focus. To stay calm and deliver a good lap, which is what we did in the end.”
“Damage limitation,” Russell said. “In Q2, the front wing broke, we were wrapping our heads around that. Then in Q3, [we] stopped on track. Car wasn’t restarting, couldn’t change gear. Just really happy to be standing here. Starting my last lap, I had no battery, no tire temp. But the team did a really great job to get us in this position.”
Q3
Besides the Russell drama, not much happened in this round.
| Pos. | Driver No. | Driver | Team | Time from Leader |
| 1. | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:32:064m |
| 2. | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | +0.222s |
| 3. | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +0.351s |
| 4. | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.364s |
| 5. | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes | +0.486s |
| 6. | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes | +0.544s |
| 7. | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Mercedes | +0.809s |
| 8. | 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Red Bull Ford | +0.938s |
| 9. | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull Racing Red Bull Ford | +1.057s |
| 10. | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas Ferrari | +1.228s |
Q2
At the end of the round, Gabriel Bortoleto dove deep into the last turn and didn’t make it.
The second-year driver spun out and hit the wall, but was able to recover without much damage and drive to the pit lane.
| Pos. | Driver No. | Driver | Team | Time from Advancing |
| 11. | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi | +0.002s |
| 12. | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine Mercedes | +0.005s |
| 13. | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas Ferrari | +0.186s |
| 14. | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls Red Bull Ford | +0.413s |
| 15. | 41 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls Red Bull Ford | +0.432s |
| 16. | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | +0.613s |
Q1
There were no real issues in this round of qualifying. The bottom three teams all failed to advance in this round.
| Pos. | Driver No. | Driver | Team | Time from Advancing |
| 17. | 55 | Carlos Sainz | Williams Mercedes | +0.178s |
| 18. | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams Mercedes | +0.633s |
| 19. | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Aramco Honda | +1.064s |
| 20. | 77 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac Ferrari | +1.297s |
| 21. | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Aramco Honda | +1.856s |
| 22. | 11 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac Ferrari | +2.767s |
Lights will go out for the Chinese Grand Prix at 3 a.m. ET on Sunday, March 15. Live coverage will be on Apple TV.
