Kimi Antonelli claimed pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka on Saturday, with teammate George Russell alongside him on the front row as Mercedes continued their dominant start to the new Formula 1 season.
The Silver Arrows have won both races so far this year and were once again the fastest team on a dry track in Japan. The 19-year-old Italian, who became the youngest pole-sitter in F1 history two weeks ago in China, repeated the feat with a lap of one minute 28.778 seconds. Russell was second, just under three tenths behind, with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri third and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc fourth.
Antonelli, who also won in Shanghai for his first ever grand prix victory, said he was very pleased with how the session went and felt comfortable in the car throughout.
Russell admitted he struggled with the handling of his car for much of qualifying but still had enough pace to secure second place, adding that there was still plenty to fight for in Sunday’s race.
Lando Norris was fifth for McLaren, with Lewis Hamilton sixth for Ferrari and Pierre Gasly seventh for Alpine. Four-time world champion Max Verstappen had a difficult day, ending up 11th after going out in Q2. He described his Red Bull as completely unpredictable and very difficult to drive.
