Kimi Antonelli explains ‘risk versus reward’ lesson behind breakthrough Chinese GP pole

Kimi Antonelli set a new F1 record by taking pole position for the Chinese Grand Prix, capitalising on a compromised qualifying for George Russell.

Mercedes claimed a 1-2 finish in qualifying in Shanghai, with Antonelli coming out on top against Russell to set a new F1 record.

Kimi Antonelli youngest F1 pole-sitter: Mercedes rookie beats George Russell in China qualifying

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The Italian driver took pole position for Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix after logging a 1:32.064 on his second run in Q3.

Having taken provisional pole during his first run with a 1:32.3, Antonelli’s job looked to be somewhat easier as Russell encountered a technical issue on his W17 as he ground to a halt out on track at the start of the session.

Russell managed to get moving again and returned to the pits while stuck in first gear, resulting in Mercedes poring over his car to reset its electronics, including giving him a new steering wheel.

This obstacle to a smooth session meant Russell was a run behind Antonelli, but the British driver showed his experience on his one and only run to set a 1:32.286 – a time which would have been good enough to wrest pole from Antonelli had the Italian not found more pace on his second run.

With his 1:32.064, Antonelli will start a race ahead of Russell for the first time this year, and, in taking pole position, has reset a long-standing record.

Already the youngest race leader and youngest driver to set a race fastest lap, Antonelli is now the youngest ever pole-sitter for a Grand Prix.

He also took pole position for the Sprint race in Miami last year, although this one doesn’t count towards the record books, as it was not for the Grand Prix itself.

At 19 years, six months, and 17 days, Antonelli is quite a bit younger than Sebastian Vettel’s record, which has stood since 2008. That season, the German driver took pole at Monza at the age of 21 years, two months, and 11 days.

Beaming with delight about his achievement, Antonelli acknowledged that a cleaner session for Russell, who has had the upper hand so far this year, may have resulted in a different outcome, but was happy that he had delivered to his potential.

“It was a good session, a clean one,” he said.

“Of course, George had an issue in Q3, so it probably could have been a different story, but I’m happy with the lap I did, to be fair, and really happy to be starting on pole for my first time.”

Asked how he felt after claiming such a record in Formula 1, Antonelli said, “I don’t know! I feel… I mean, I’m very happy, very happy, because, in the end, it’s just the beginning. Obviously, there’s a lot more to come.

“Yeah, I’m really looking forward to tomorrow, and 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.

“Definitely, I got into a nice rhythm.

“I struggled a little bit with the balance throughout all the qualifying. But, yeah, 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.”

More on the Chinese GP qualifying

F1 LIVE: Thrilling Chinese Grand Prix qualifying as it happened

2026 Chinese Grand Prix – Qualifying F1 results (Shanghai International Circuit)

Kimi Antonelli explains risk versus reward lesson after Chinese Grand Prix pole

With Mercedes starting the season so strongly, Antonelli’s pole position has shown Russell that perhaps not everything will be one-sided at the Brackley-based squad this season, as the potential for an intra-team championship battle starts to emerge.

It’s a big ask for Antonelli to get in the battle against his much more experienced teammate, given his youth at the start of what is only his second season in F1, and Antonelli showed some of this inexperience when he crashed in an inconsequential session in FP3 last week in Melbourne.

The Italian explained that he’s learning how to better balance his risk-taking behind the wheel, admitting that he’s wary of squandering the potential of the car beneath him.

“Yes, it’s not easy, because definitely, Melbourne was a shame to have that hard hit, and then it put me a bit on the back foot into qualifying and race,” he said.

“But it’s hard because you know you have such a great opportunity, you know, having such a quick car.

“You don’t want to miss the opportunity, so you go for it but, in my case, I’m still learning how to improve the risk/reward ratio, especially in sessions where the result doesn’t really count, such as FP3, for example.

“So it’s up to then be able to keep the momentum going. It’s about [putting] things together, even in a qualifying session, having a clean run from Q1 all the way to Q3, I’m still trying to find my way to see how I can achieve that, because still, at the moment, I feel like maybe I do a good Q1 and Q2, then maybe Q3 is not good enough. So just need to find some improvements in there.”

Having lost positions after a poor start in the Chinese Sprint, Antonelli said he’s identified some challenges for the Grand Prix, in which he’ll be eyeing up the opportunity to slot in behind Max Verstappen as the second-youngest F1 race winner.

“Definitely, graining is going to be a big factor,” he said of the tyres.

“It’s going to be a bit colder tomorrow, so it could be even worse for graining.

“I just need to stay on top of that, trying to manage that front left.”

Having made two consecutive starts that cost him places, the Italian said he’s wary of Ferrari getting past him on the opening lap.

“First of all, have a good start, because I haven’t had good ones so far, and then just try to set the pace,” he said.

“[Ferrari] certainly looks very strong, especially on cold tyres. They look like they have a good pace. But, of course, the start is also a very strong point of theirs.

“So I’ve just got to try to have a clean start, and then we’ll see from there.”

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