Overview
- Saturday qualifying at the Circuit of The Americas saw Kimi Antonelli take pole with a 1:34.035, beating Max Verstappen by 0.179 seconds and placing Isack Hadjar third.
- Antonelli can clinch the 2026 drivers' championship by winning Sunday’s race if George Russell finishes ninth or lower and Lewis Hamilton finishes fifth or lower.
- Multiple lap times were deleted for exceeding track limits in Q3, including Max Verstappen’s final attempt, and those deletions materially shaped the front‑row order.
- Team tactics and power‑unit penalties altered several starting spots as Racing Bulls sat Liam Lawson out of Q3 to protect Arvid Lindblad, who will drop five places for an engine change, while Gabriel Bortoleto faces a back‑of‑the‑grid penalty for multiple power‑unit changes.
- Mercedes cast Antonelli’s pole as proof their W17 upgrade is coming together after a difficult development run, while Ferrari — fastest in practice — lost its Q3 form and qualified fourth and fifth.