Kimi Antonelli became the youngest pole-sitter in Formula One history after George Russell was struck down by a gearbox problem in qualifying for the Chinese Grand Prix.
Russell was still able to take second on the grid as Mercedes secured a second straight front-row lockout, but the world championship leader was restricted to just one flying lap in Shanghai after he stopped on track with mechanical trouble in the early part of Q3.
Russell emerged from his garage with just two minutes remaining, but he could not match team-mate Antonelli’s lap with the Italian ending the session 0.222 seconds clear.
Antonelli, aged 19 years, six months and 18 days, breaks Sebastian Vettel’s 18-year record as the youngest driver to take top spot in qualifying. Vettel was 21 years, two months and 11 days when he stormed to pole at the Italian Grand Prix in 2008.
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Lewis Hamilton finished third in his Ferrari, one place ahead of Charles Leclerc in the other scarlet car. Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris will line up in fifth and sixth respectively for McLaren. Max Verstappen qualified eighth, nine tenths off the pace.
Earlier in the day, Russell had overcome challenges first from Hamilton and then Leclerc to win the Sprint race. Antonelli had finished fifth, behind reigning world champion Norris. Russell had then gone on to liken the wheel-to-wheel fights with Ferrari to his go-kart battles as a kid. “There’s a lot going on, but it makes it quite fun and definitely feels more like go-kart racing in the past,” Russell had said.
