Kimi Antonelli takes another giant step toward the Formula 1 title. The 20-year-old Italian dreams of becoming the youngest driver in history to reach the top of the premier category of world motorsport, and for that reason, securing pole position at the Austin Grand Prix is key.
The Mercedes representative set a time of 1m 34.035s in Q3, a mark that allowed him to be the fastest in Texas and take the top spot on the grid for Sunday's race. Moreover, his time not only served to get the better of the Red Bull duo made up of Max Verstappen (2nd) and Isack Hadjar (3rd), but also Lewis Hamilton (5th) and George Russell (6th), rivals whose performance he is keeping a wary eye on as he looks to be crowned champion this weekend.
And it is that the driver born in Bologna leads the overall standings with 340 points, ahead of his teammate (Russell) and the Ferrari driver by 102 and 111 points, respectively. This means that, to claim the championship crown, in the United States he must score 23 more points than his colleague, and at the same time, the aforementioned Hamilton must finish no better than fifth place.
If one of these outcomes does not come to pass, the battle for the crown will be extended to the Mexico City GP, scheduled for October 30 to November 1.
Check out the full classification at the Austin GP:
Position | Driver | Team | Time
1 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:34.035
2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 1:34.214
3 | Isack Hadjar | Red …
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Sports SectionThe Mercedes driver finished with the best time in Texas and will start from the top spot in Sunday's race, an occasion where he could clinch the championship title. Kimi Antonelli takes pole position in Austin and the Formula 1 title draws near. CommentsKimi Antonelli takes another giant step toward the Formula 1 title. The 20-year-old Italian dreams of becoming the youngest driver in history to reach the top of the world's premier motorsport category, and for that reason, securing pole position at the Austin Grand Prix is key. The Mercedes representative set a time of 1m 34.035s in Q3, a mark that made him the fastest in Texas and placed him in the first grid slot for Sunday's race. Moreover, his time not only allowed him to outpace the Red Bull duo of Max Verstappen (2nd) and Isack Hadjar (3rd), but also Lewis Hamilton (5th) and George Russell (6th), rivals whose performance he is keeping a wary eye on as he aims to be crowned this weekend. The Bologna-born driver leads the overall standings with 340 points, ahead of his teammate (Russell) and the Ferrari driver by 102 and 111 points, respectively. This means that, to claim the championship crown, in the United States he must score 23 more points than his colleague and, at the same time, the aforementioned Hamilton must finish no higher than fifth place. If either of these outcomes fails to materialize, the title decider will be pushed to the Mexico City GP, scheduled for October 30 to November 1. Check out the full classification for the Austin GP:PositionDriverTeamTime1Andrea Kimi AntonelliMercedes1:34.0352Max VerstappenRed Bull Racing1:34.2143Isack HadjarRed Bull Racing1:34.2504Charles LeclercFerrari1:34.2675Lewis HamiltonFerrari1:34.3116George RussellMercedes1:34.4767Oscar PiastriMcLaren1:34.8038Lando NorrisMcLaren1:35.0499Arvid LindbladRB1:36.04910Liam LawsonRB1:35.05811Pierre GaslyAlpine1:35.08012Nico HülkenbergAudi1:35.15813Gabriel BortoletoAudi1:35.69114Franco ColapintoAlpine1:35.72215Fernando AlonsoAston Martin1:35.81816Oliver BearmanHaas1:36.03117Esteban OconHaas1:36.53118Lance StrollAston Martin1:36.67719Carlos Sainz Jr. Williams1:36.77020Alex AlbonWilliams1:36.96721Sergio PérezCadillac1:37.43322Valtteri BottasCadillac1:37.523Read also:Martín Vidaurre: "The restrictions on San Cristóbal hill are exaggerated"A framework for sports organizations and fan groups: the key provisions of the Joint-Stock Companies Law regulationsMore about:Formula 1Formula OneF1Kimi AntonelliAustin Grand PrixAustin GPMercedesMotorsportMulti-sportMax VerstappenRed BullGeorge RussellIsack HadjarLewis HamiltonFerrariNEWSLETTEREl DeportivoMonday, 8:45 AMA special selection with coverage and analysis of the most important sporting events of the weekend, by the La Tercera Sports team. By signing up, you are accepting La Tercera's Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policies.