Kimi Antonelli pounced on qualifying struggles for Mercedes team-mate George Russell to claim his second successive pole position for Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix.
Carrying the momentum of his maiden grand prix pole and race win from China a fortnight ago, Antonelli had outpaced Russell in the final two practice sessions at Suzuka and carried that impressive form into qualifying.
Russell, meanwhile, reported repeated issues with his car’s rear grip and trailed Antonelli by unusually large margins in Q1 and Q2. Although he closed some of the gap in Q3, Antonelli’s superb time of 1:28.778 on his first attempt of the decisive shootout still proved a comfortable 0.298s quicker than his title-leading team-mate could muster on his final run.
“What a lap! Three tenths on his team-mate George Russell – very, very impressive,” said Sky Sports F1’s Jenson Button.
“I feel we have seen a different Kimi this weekend. He has always been extremely quick but the consistency is there.”
The Mercedes drivers had been unexpectedly challenged by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in the first two stages of qualifying before the Silver Arrows pulled clear into an exclusive duel for pole when it mattered.
Piastri, though, still continued a positive weekend for him to beat Leclerc to third, with the latter fourth after an error at Spoon curve in the middle sector of what appeared to be a more promising final attempt.
World champion Lando Norris, whose weekend has been compromised by unreliability in practice, was fifth in the other McLaren with Lewis Hamilton sixth in the second Ferrari having trailed Leclerc all weekend.
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Max Verstappen’s nightmare start to the season continues as he is knocked out of Q2 at the Japanese Grand Prix
There was fresh 2026 disappointment for Max Verstappen, who labelled his Red Bull “undrivable” after dropping out in Q2.
On pole at Suzuka over the previous four years, Verstappen will start this year’s race from 11th – three places lower than team-mate Isack Hadjar, who made Q3 and took eighth – with the Dutchman struggling with the RB22’s balance and handling.
Pierre Gasly beat both Red Bulls again to take another impressive seventh for the Mercedes-powered Alpine, with Audi’s Gabriel Bortoleto in ninth and British rookie Arvid Lindblad in 10th after the Racing Bulls driver had been the one to knock Verstappen below the cut line in Q2.
But fellow Briton Oliver Bearman, one of the season’s early star performers, dropped out in Q1 here to qualify 18th for Haas ahead of only the Cadillacs and Aston Martins.
Antonelli momentum grows as Russell rues ‘really strange’ qualifying
In a rollercoaster first year of F1 in 2025, teenager Antonelli only outqualified the more-experienced Russell three times at Mercedes but holds an early 2-1 lead on Saturdays so far this season.
While Antonelli’s maiden grand prix pole in Shanghai was certainly helped by a technical problem that briefly stopped Russell on track, he always looked the more likely Mercedes driver to take top spot in Suzuka after an impressive showing through practice.
With Russell then unhappy with his W17 throughout the qualifying hour, Antonelli set an impressive marker with his first lap of Q3 and, although a lock-up at the hairpin on his final attempt stopped him going faster, the first attempt ultimately proved enough.
“I’m super happy with the session. It was a good one, it was a clean one,” said Antonelli.
“I felt very good in the car and every run I was improving and improving.
“A shame for the last lap because of a lock up at Turn 11 but it was a good one. I’m really happy with the session.”
Back-to-back poles for Kimi Antonelli over George Russell at the last two events
In contrast, Russell was far from happy with how his session had gone, telling the team over the radio after lapping 0.6s slower than Antonelli in Q2: “I think we’re missing something here.
“We couldn’t lose this much pace.”
He had more than halved that deficit by the end of Q3 to comfortably secure a place on the front row, but admitted: “It was a really strange session for us. We were both very fast all weekend. We made some adjustments after FP3, and then at the beginning of qualifying, we were nowhere.
“So, we need to kind of understand. Very lucky again to be in P2. The last two weekends it’s kind of both gone wrong come qualifying, but the race is tomorrow and there’s still a lot to play for.”
Sky Sports F1’s Japanese GP schedule
Sunday March 29
4.30am: Japanese GP build-up – Grand Prix Sunday*
6am: THE JAPANESE GRAND PRIX*
8am: Japanese GP reaction – Chequered Flag*
9am: Ted’s Notebook*
*Also live on Sky Sports Main Event
Formula 1 is at the iconic Suzuka Circuit for the Japanese Grand Prix this weekend, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime
