Record-breaker: Kimi Antonelli becomes youngest pole sitter in F1 history

Written by Kavi Khandelwal

History was rewritten at the Shanghai International Circuit as Kimi Antonelli snatched pole position, eclipsing Sebastian Vettel’s long-standing record to become the youngest ever Grand Prix pole sitter at just 19 years and 202 days old.

Credit: Formula One

The Mercedes protégé delivered a remarkably composed performance under the intense pressure of Q3. While his teammate George Russell was hampered by technical issues—limping back to the pits stuck in first gear—Antonelli remained unfazed.

He set the initial benchmark with a 1:32.322, but it was his final flying lap that sealed the deal. Blasting across the line with a 1:32.064, he found nearly three-tenths of a second on his second run to secure the top spot.

Reflecting on the milestone, the young Italian was quick to praise the team while remaining humble about the circumstances of the session.

"Yeah, it was a pretty clean session, so really happy. Of course, unfortunately, George had issue in Q3. It would have been cool to see him with two sets. But yeah, I think it was a really good session, a clean one, no mistakes, and I’m looking forward to the race tomorrow."

Despite the chaos unfolding in the garage next door, Antonelli demonstrated a level of maturity that belied his age. Even when Russell managed to return to the track for one final "last-gasp" effort, Antonelli’s time held firm, leaving him 0.222s clear of his teammate in P2 and 0.351s ahead of the Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton in P3.

"I saw he [George] had the issue, but I just tried to keep my focus, to stay calm and try to deliver a good lap, which it was, at the end. I’m happy with the lap I did, to be fair, and really happy to be starting on pole for my first time."

When asked about the weight of breaking a record previously held by a four-time world champion, Antonelli remained focused on the long-term journey ahead.

"I don’t know. I feel, yeah, I mean, I’m very happy, I’m very happy because at the end, you know, it’s just the beginning, so obviously there’s a lot more to come. And yeah, really looking forward to tomorrow and, you know, the car is feeling really good, the car is strong, so yeah, a lot to play for tomorrow, but yeah, just super happy with today."

The session wasn't without its technical hurdles. Antonelli noted that while he found a consistent rhythm, the car’s handling was a moving target across the three segments.

"I got into a nice rhythm. I struggled a little bit with the balance throughout qualifying, but yeah, I mean tomorrow the wind is going to change massively again, so it should be better. But yeah, it was nice because for the first time in a qualifying session I was able to find lap time every time I was going on track."

Looking ahead to Sunday’s Grand Prix, the focus shifts to the gruelling reality of tire management. After a challenging Sprint earlier in the day, the Mercedes driver is wary of the front-left graining that has plagued the field.

"Well, definitely graining is going to be a big factor. It’s going to be a bit colder tomorrow, so it could be even worse for graining. So yeah, just need to stay on top of that, trying to manage that front left. First of all, have a good start because I didn’t have a good one so far, and yeah, then just try to set the pace."

Antonelli will also have to contend with the looming threat of the Ferrari duo, who showed blistering pace on cold tires during the Sprint.

"Well, they certainly look very strong, especially also on cold tyres. They look like they’ve got good pace, but of course also the start is a very strong point of theirs. So yeah, just going to try to have a clean start and then we’ll see from there."