U.S. GP qualifying recap: Kimi Antonelli claims pole to boost chances of winning F1 title in Austin New York Times (Online) Madeline Coleman The 2026 Formula 1 world championship could be clinched this weekend at the United States Grand Prix, and Kimi Antonelli has taken a big step towards that after securing pole position on Saturday. Four-time, world champion Max Verstappen will also start on the front row, while Lewis Hamilton and George Russell — who are central to the title permutations — are fifth and seventh, respectively. Antonelli took provisional pole with a 0.179-second gap over Verstappen after the initial Q3 flying laps, with teammate Isack Hadjar also catching the eye, with only a 0.036-second gap to Verstappen. Ultimately, the two Red Bulls could not improve on their final runs and Hadjar equaled his best qualifying performance with third. Antonelli pole position isn't a total shock given his incredible form this season, but Ferrari had looked like a threat throughout practice, as Hamilton and Charles Leclerc had led the timesheets in earlier qualifying sessions and practice. Leclerc qualified ahead of his teammate, in fourth. Liam Lawson did not go out for a Q3 lap, likely because both Racing Bulls drivers advanced to the top-10 shootout. Teammate Arvid Lindblad is one of three drivers to be handed grid penalties for Sunday's race, as he took his sixth internal combustion engine and faces a five-place grid drop. With Lawson not running, that leaves Lindblad losing one less spot and Lawson starting ninth. The other two drivers to face grid penalties are Franco Colapinto and Gabriel Bortoleto, who were knocked out in Q2. Colapinto faces a 10-place grid drop for a new control electronics unit, while Bortoleto has an 80-place grid drop for a slew of changes. The big question coming out of Saturday's qualifying is whether the world championship will be clinched this weekend. Here's Antonelli needs to walk away the youngest ever F1 champion in Austin on Sundat. There's a maximum of 150 points remaining up for grabs on the calendar, with six races and no sprints to go. The Italian driver must have a 125-point gap over the second-ranked driver after the U.S. GP to secure the title. If Antonelli wins on Sunday, Russell needs to finish ninth or lower and Hamilton must be fifth or lower for the Italian to take the title.