Here is the thing about qualifying at the United States Grand Prix: it always delivers. As RaceFans reports, Andrea Kimi Antonelli has put his Mercedes on provisional pole position with a stunning session at the Circuit of the Americas. That puts the young charger right at the sharp end of the grid, beating none other than Max Verstappen to the top spot.
Behind the leading pair, Isack Hadjar locked down the third spot to complete the top three. It is a brilliant piece of machinery work from the frontrunners, but further down the order, the grid is a complete disaster for several teams due to reliability woes and component limits.
Now, let us talk about the penalties, because they are wild. Franco Colapinto faces a harsh 10-place grid drop for exceeding his maximum allowance of power unit components. Gabriel Bortoleto has been hit even harder, picking up a staggering 20-place grid drop alongside another 60-place grid drop for the exact same issue with his power unit components. Meanwhile, Arvid Lindblad takes a 5-place grid drop for exceeding his maximum number of power unit components as well.
Earlier in the weekend at COTA, the track action saw Charles Leclerc put his upgraded Ferrari on top during the first practice session ahead of Verstappen. Leclerc stayed right there at the summit in second practice, finishing narrowly ahead of Antonelli. When the final practice rolled around, Lewis Hamilton paced the field following a spate of track limits violations that caught out several drivers.
Away from the immediate qualifying battle, George Russell has made it clear that 2026 certainly will not be his final shot at claiming the championship. But for now, all eyes are locked on the front of the grid as Antonelli prepares to lead the pack away when the lights go out.
