Italian teenager Kimi Antonelli has become the youngest driver to secure pole position for a Formula 1 grand prix, topping the timesheets in qualifying for Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix.
The Mercedes driver produced a 1 minute, 32.604 seconds on Saturday afternoon in Shanghai, beating his teammate George Russell by 0.222 seconds, in a second-straight front row lockout for the Silver Arrows.
At 19 years of age, Antonelli beat Sebastian Vettel’s record for F1’s youngest grand prix pole sitter, with the German’s mark standing since 2008 when he qualified fastest for the Italian Grand Prix with Toro Rosso as a 21-year-old.
Russell was favourite to take pole on Saturday afternoon, after winning the sprint race from pole earlier in the day. But the Briton, who won last Sunday’s season-opener in Melbourne, could only manage one flying lap in the final stage of qualifying after his car stopped on track and suffered gear changing issues.
“Was a pretty clean session, so really happy,” Antonelli said.
“Of course George had an issue … I saw he had an issue, but I just tried to keep my focus and deliver a good lap.”
Antonelli set the record for the youngest pole sitter for a sprint race last year in Miami.
He is also the first Italian driver to claim pole position since Giancarlo Fisichella qualified fastest for the 2009 Belgian Grand Prix, driving for Force India.
Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton (third) and Charles Leclerc (fourth) will start Sunday’s grand prix from the second row on the grid.
Australian Oscar Piastri qualified fifth, and McLaren teammate Lando Norris was sixth-quickest, just as they were one week ago in Melbourne.
Russell wins F1 China sprint, Piastri finishes sixth
George Russell (centre) beat home Charles Leclerc (left) and Lewis Hamilton. (AP: Andy Wong)
George Russell has held off the fast-starting Ferraris to win the Chinese Grand Prix sprint race for Mercedes and stretch his Formula 1 championship lead to 11 points.
Oscar Piastri, who crashed his McLaren on the lap to the grid at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne last weekend, was sixth in the sprint race at the Shanghai International Circuit.
Russell started on pole position and finished ahead of Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton after an opening tussle and late safety car period in the 19-lap race.
The Briton arrived in Shanghai after winning the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
“It was pretty fun in the end,” Russell said after taking eight points for the sprint win.
“A lot of strategy at play and how you do the overtakes — it is not easy. I hope it was a fun race to watch. Usually, the sprint races are pretty boring.”
Leclerc finished 0.674 seconds behind Russell after a battle with Hamilton.
Last year’s sprint winner Hamilton, who lined up fourth on the grid this time with Leclerc sixth, traded the lead with Russell four times in the opening five laps.
“Lewis did an amazing job in the early laps,” Russell said.
“He caught me off-guard but … I’ve still got a little bit to learn there.”
McLaren’s reigning champion Lando Norris finished fourth with Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli fifth after serving a 10-second penalty for a clash with Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar on the opening lap.
Russell now has 33 points on the drivers’ standings, with Antonelli and Leclerc tied on 22 and Hamilton on 18.
Reuters
