Max Verstappen congratulated Kimi Antonelli on becoming the youngest ever F1 pole sitter after the teenager secured the pole for the Chinese Grand Prix on Saturday. Antonelli beat teammate George Russell (P2) and secured the best spot on the grid for Sunday’s race.
As Mercedes secured the one-two in qualifying in Australia, Kimi Antonelli was the one on top this time in China, securing his first F1 pole position thanks to his 1:32.064s lap time. He beat George Russell, who completed only one lap in Q3 due to a car issue, by 0.222 seconds.
Apart from his first career pole, Antonelli became part of history as the youngest ever pole sitter in F1 history. The 19-year-old broke Sebastian Vettel‘s record, which the German had set at the age of 21 at the 2008 Italian GP.
The official Mercedes F1 Instagram account shared a post on Saturday.
Max Verstappen shared his reaction to Kimi Antonelli breaking this record, as he replied to the Instagram post, saying:
“👏👏👏 well done @kimi.antonelli”
![Screen grab of Verstappen's comment under Mercedes' Instagram post [via Instagram/@mercedesamgf1]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2026/03/2343e-17735021754368-1920.jpg)
Max Verstappen was previously fourth on the list of youngest pole sitters in F1, having achieved his first pole position at the 2019 Hungarian GP, when he was just 21.
For Antonelli, the job is not done, though, as he now aims to claim his first win in F1 at the Chinese GP on Sunday. But he will not only have to contend with his teammate George Russell during the race but also the Ferraris of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, who are both on the second row, eyeing up another quick launch off the line in Shanghai.
Kimi Antonelli reflects on “big opportunity” after claiming the Chinese GP pole position
Kimi Antonelli was already looking forward to the race on Sunday after claiming his first F1 pole at the Chinese GP. The Mercedes man said that while he was excited to be on pole, he had already shifted his focus to Sunday’s race.
Speaking to the media following qualifying, Antonelli explained how he felt being P1, saying, via Formula1.com:
“I’m feeling great. It was a good session, a good way to end the day after a difficult Sprint. Of course there’s a lot of excitement, but the focus is already ahead on tomorrow because there’s a big, big opportunity and I just really want to maximise it.”
Antonelli also alluded to the race start, saying that he will try not to overcomplicate things when on the grid on Sunday. The youngster had a terrible start off the line in the sprint race, which saw him go from P2 to P10 on the first lap, as it was later revealed that he was in the wrong mode at the start of the 19-lap dash.
Edited by Hitesh Nigam