‘We’re ready to do our best’ – Antonelli explains approach to United States GP after taking pole

With the Drivers' Championship within his reach, Kimi Antonelli has reflected on his chances of converting pole position into victory at the United States Grand Prix.

Oct 24, 2026 11:27pm UTC

AUSTIN, TEXAS - OCTOBER 24: Pole position qualifier Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy and Mercedes AMG

Kimi Antonelli has admitted that “it’s not going to be easy” to secure the win that could see him crowned World Champion at the United States Grand Prix, but insisted that Mercedes will “do our best” from pole position.

After an unassuming start to Qualifying, the Italian surged to the top spot for the seventh time in 2026, posting an unbeatable time of 1m 34.035s to beat the Red Bull pair of Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar.

Antonelli abandoned his second attempt, but it fortunately wasn’t needed as those around him failed to improve enough to topple him, helping the 20-year-old to seal his first pole position since the Belgian Grand Prix in July.

Reflecting on the session, he said: “I’m very happy. It was a good Qualifying. Having a clean run helped to build momentum. We didn’t do mistakes and I’m very happy with that.

“I felt good in the car, especially in Q3. It was tricky with the wind because the balance was changing quite a lot from corner to corner, but that last lap was looking good.

“I pushed a little bit more and just lost it which was a shame, but still very happy with the result and looking forward to tomorrow.”

Although this weekend represents Antonelli’s first chance to clinch the Drivers’ Championship, that relies on a number of results going his way – he needs to win the United States Grand Prix while George Russell finishes ninth or lower, and Lewis Hamilton places outside of the top four.

With Russell qualifying sixth just behind Hamilton, Antonelli is undoubtedly in a good position to chase down his maiden title, although he recognised that he’ll face tough competition from Red Bull at lights out.

“We’ll try to win,” he explained. “Hopefully we’ll get off the line well and then hopefully we can set the pace and win the race, but it’s not going to be easy.

“Red Bull and Max have been very strong, and also Isack has been up there in Qualifying. It’s not going to be easy out there but we’re ready to do our best.”