Kimi Antonelli will start the United States Grand Prix from pole after a 1:34.035 in Q3 at the Circuit of the Americas on Saturday. For the two American teams it was a tougher afternoon: Haas lines up 16th and 17th, and Cadillac fills the back row.
THE FRONT ROW
Antonelli's Mercedes beat Max Verstappen's Red Bull by 0.179 seconds. Isack Hadjar put the second Red Bull third, 0.215 seconds off pole, ahead of the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. George Russell qualified sixth. Leclerc had been fastest in Q2 with a 1:34.198 but couldn't improve on that in Q3.
The standings make the pole a big one. Antonelli came to Austin leading the drivers' championship on 340 points, 102 ahead of Russell, after eight wins in 17 rounds.
HAAS: BEARMAN 16TH, OCON 17TH
Oliver Bearman reached Q2 but went no further, qualifying 16th with a 1:36.031. That was 0.973 seconds slower than Liam Lawson's 1:35.058, the last time that made it into Q3. Esteban Ocon was knocked out in Q1 in 17th, 0.291 seconds short of Fernando Alonso's 1:36.240, the cutoff for Q2.
There's still something to fight for on Sunday. Haas came into the weekend seventh in the constructors' championship on 30 points, seven ahead of Audi, and both Audis start ahead of both Haas cars: Nico Hulkenberg is 12th and Gabriel Bortoleto 13th.
CADILLAC: BACK ROW IN AUSTIN
Sergio Perez (1:37.433) and Valtteri Bottas (1:37.523) qualified 21st and 22nd. The team is still looking for its first championship point after 17 rounds.
There was one American in the cockpit this weekend: Colton Herta, Cadillac's test driver, took Perez's car for the first practice session on Friday and finished 21st of 22. Cadillac had already announced four FP1 outings for Herta this season, in place of Bottas and Perez.
PRACTICE IN BRIEF
Ferrari topped all three practice sessions. Leclerc was fastest in FP1 (1:36.052) and FP2 (1:35.291), and Hamilton led FP3 with a 1:34.893. Verstappen was second in FP1 and FP3 and third in FP2. Over a single lap on Saturday, though, nobody could match Antonelli.
HOW TO WATCH SUNDAY
Lights out is Sunday, October 25, at 4:00 p.m. ET / 3:00 p.m. CT / 2:00 p.m. MT / 1:00 p.m. PT. In the US, the race is on Apple TV, which has had exclusive American rights to Formula 1 since this season. A $12.99-per-month Apple TV subscription includes F1 TV Premium at no extra cost.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Three things for American fans. First, whether Bearman and Ocon can get past the Audis and into the points from 16th and 17th, which would extend Haas's lead in the fight for seventh. Second, whether Cadillac can pick off anyone from the back row. Third, whether Antonelli can turn pole into a win and stretch his lead in the championship.
MORE ON YANKEEF1
Race hub, schedule and results: yankeef1.com/race/austin-2026. Driver pages: yankeef1.com/drivers/bea, yankeef1.com/drivers/oco, yankeef1.com/drivers/per and yankeef1.com/drivers/bot. Teams and standings: yankeef1.com/teams and yankeef1.com/standings. Full viewing guide: yankeef1.com/watch.
Sources: official qualifying and practice classifications, Formula1.com; championship standings, Jolpica F1 (after round 17); Apple Newsroom (US broadcast); Formula1.com (Herta FP1 program).
