Chinese GP: Kimi Antonelli breaks this record of Sebastian Vettel
What's the story
Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli has made history by becoming the youngest pole-sitter in Formula 1. The 19-year-old achieved this feat during the qualifying session for the Chinese Grand Prix, beating his teammate George Russell to secure first place on the grid. Antonelli's time of 1:32.064 on his second attempt was enough to secure him pole position, beating Russell by a margin of 0.222 seconds.
New record
Antonelli breaks Vettel's record
Antonelli's achievement has now broken the previous record held by four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel. The German had claimed his first F1 pole at the age of 21 years and 72 days during the 2008 Italian Grand Prix while driving for Toro Rosso. This makes Antonelli's feat even more impressive, as he has managed to set a new benchmark at just 19 years and 201 days.
Qualifying results
Mercedes drivers lock out front row for 3rd consecutive time
Mercedes drivers Antonelli and Russell locked out the front row for the third consecutive time this season. Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc secured their spots on the second row, with just over a hundredth of a second separating them. Oscar Piastri beat his McLaren teammate Lando Norris to take fifth place as reigning constructors' champions showed some improvement but still lacked pace to challenge for pole position.
Season struggles
Verstappen struggles again as Gasly takes 8th
Red Bull's Max Verstappen continued his tough start to the season by qualifying eighth, behind Alpine's Pierre Gasly. His teammate Isack Hadjar was ninth ahead of Haas's Oliver Bearman. The French driver was lucky to make it through Q2 after Gabriel Bortoleto spinning off triggered yellow flags that prevented several others from knocking out Red Bull from contention.
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It was a pretty clean session, says Antonelli
"It was a pretty clean session, so really happy," said Antonelli after the race. "Unfortunately George had an issue in Q3, so it would have been cool to see him with two sets, but I think it was a really good session. A clean one, no mistakes, and looking forward to the race tomorrow."
Sprint
Russell wins Chinese GP sprint race
Russell of Mercedes won the sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix after an intense early battle with Scuderia Ferrari's Hamilton. The two drivers exchanged positions five times within the opening five laps, thrilling fans with their aggressive racing. After finally taking the lead, Russell pulled away and secured a comfortable victory. Hamilton then lost second place to his Ferrari team-mate Leclerc, leaving the Ferraris to finish second and third behind Russell.
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Russell gets to 33 points
Russell, who won the season-opening Australian GP, collected 8 points after winning the sprint race. He has raced to 33 points. With 22 points, Antonelli and Leclerc are joint-2nd. Hamilton is third with 18 points ahead of Norris (15). Sixth-placed Verstappen owns 8 points.
Twitter Post
Front row!
Locking out the front row in Quali 🔐 pic.twitter.com/uJbA7iJHFZ
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) March 14, 2026