{"id":15044,"date":"2026-03-14T11:50:26","date_gmt":"2026-03-14T11:50:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=15044"},"modified":"2026-03-14T11:50:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T11:50:26","slug":"kimi-antonelli-becomes-youngest-f1-driver-to-take-grand-prix-pole-position-motorsports-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=15044","title":{"rendered":"Kimi Antonelli becomes youngest F1 driver to take \u200cGrand Prix pole position | Motorsports News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p class=\"article__subhead\"><em>Italian teenager breaks an 18-year-old record in China to become the youngest pole sitter in Formula One history.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><button class=\"article-listen-container\" aria-labelledby=\"listen-text listen-duration\" data-testid=\"listen-to-article-button\"><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"article-listen-container__text\" data-testid=\"listen-to-article-text\">Listen to this article<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">\u00a0|\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"article-listen-container__duration\">3 mins<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/button><button tabindex=\"0\" class=\"tooltip-accessible_trigger\"><svg class=\"icon icon--info icon--main-grey-dark icon--16 listen-to-article-tooltip__icon\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\"><title>info<\/title><path class=\"icon-main-color\" d=\"M12 0a12 12 0 1 0 0 24 12 12 0 0 0 0-24Zm-.226 3.225a2.039 2.039 0 0 1 2.155 1.924v.193a1.998 1.998 0 0 1-2.155 2.149 2.029 2.029 0 0 1-2.146-2.15 2.039 2.039 0 0 1 1.955-2.122h.193l-.002.006Zm3.227 15.525a.75.75 0 0 1-.752.75H9.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.75h.748V12h-.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.751h3a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.752v6.75h.75a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.749L15 18.75Z\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-dates\">\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Published On 14 Mar 2026<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">14 Mar 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-share\" data-testid=\"rich-share\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__button-wrapper\"><button class=\"rich-share__button row\" aria-expanded=\"false\"><\/p>\n<p>Click here to share on social media<\/p>\n<p><svg class=\"icon icon--share2 icon--primary icon--16 \" viewbox=\"0 0 20 16\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><title>share2<\/title><path fill=\"#000\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M11.688 9.048c-.659 0-1.252.282-1.673.733l-4.92-2.45c.016-.115.028-.232.028-.352 0-.117-.011-.23-.027-.343l4.913-2.423a2.285 2.285 0 0 0 1.68.739C12.964 4.952 14 3.899 14 2.6 14 1.302 12.965.25 11.688.25S9.377 1.302 9.377 2.601c0 .117.01.23.027.343L4.49 5.367a2.285 2.285 0 0 0-1.68-.739C1.536 4.628.5 5.681.5 6.979c0 1.299 1.035 2.35 2.312 2.35.659 0 1.252-.281 1.673-.731l4.92 2.45a2.357 2.357 0 0 0-.029.351c0 1.299 1.035 2.351 2.312 2.351S14 12.698 14 11.399s-1.035-2.35-2.312-2.35Z\" 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0h16v16H.5z\"\/><\/clippath><\/defs><\/svg><span class=\"google-preferred-source__text\">Add Al Jazeera on Google<\/span><\/button><button tabindex=\"0\" aria-label=\"See more of Al Jazeera\u2019s trusted journalism by adding us as a preferred source on Google.\" class=\"tooltip-accessible_trigger\"><svg class=\"icon icon--info icon--primary icon--16 google-preferred-source__info-icon\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><title>info<\/title><path class=\"icon-main-color\" d=\"M12 0a12 12 0 1 0 0 24 12 12 0 0 0 0-24Zm-.226 3.225a2.039 2.039 0 0 1 2.155 1.924v.193a1.998 1.998 0 0 1-2.155 2.149 2.029 2.029 0 0 1-2.146-2.15 2.039 2.039 0 0 1 1.955-2.122h.193l-.002.006Zm3.227 15.525a.75.75 0 0 1-.752.75H9.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.75h.748V12h-.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.751h3a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.752v6.75h.75a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.749L15 18.75Z\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p class=\"p1\">Italian \u2060teenager Kimi Antonelli said it was \u201cjust the beginning\u201d after he set a pole record in China with Mercedes predecessor and seven-times world champion \u2060Lewis Hamilton lavishing praise on him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">At 19 years, six months and 17 days Antonelli became the youngest Formula One driver ever to take pole position for a full Grand Prix on Saturday.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 4 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u201cA great record. \u2060It\u2019s going to take a while for someone to ever get close to that one,\u201d Ferrari driver Hamilton, whose seat Antonelli took in 2025, told a news conference after qualifying third.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">The previous record was set by now-retired German driver Sebastian Vettel when he put Red Bull-owned Toro Rosso (now Racing Bulls) on \u200cpole at the age of 21 and 72 days at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Big question marks hung over Antonelli when he arrived at Mercedes as a rookie alongside George Russell, the current championship leader, after Hamilton shocked the sport by moving to rivals Ferrari.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Pundits questioned whether the then-18-year-old could live up to Hamilton\u2019s legacy, even as Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff consistently touted the Italian as a top-tier talent.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u201cHe took my seat! And he hit \u2060it hard from the get-go, so it\u2019s really great to see him \u2060progressing and he really deserves it,\u201d a beaming Hamilton said while sat next to Antonelli.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">The Italian was his country\u2019s first pole sitter since Giancarlo Fisichella for Mercedes-powered Force India, the team that is now Aston Martin, in Belgium in 2009.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u201cI\u2019m \u2060very happy because at the end, you know, it\u2019s just the beginning,\u201d said Antonelli, who had a sprint pole in Miami last year but \u2060has yet to win a race.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u201cObviously there\u2019s a lot more \u2060to come. And, yeah, really looking forward to tomorrow \u2026 the car is feeling really good, the car is strong so, yeah, a lot to play for tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Antonelli was helped by Russell having no battery and getting stuck in gear at \u200cthe start of the final phase and then getting only one flying lap for pole, which he converted into second place on the grid.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u201cMany said the kid was too young to be \u200cin \u200ca Mercedes, we should have prepared him otherwise. He did good today,\u201d said Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u201cIt\u2019s a shame that George couldn\u2019t do the lap.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Former champion Max Verstappen was only eighth fastest, continuing an unhappy weekend in a clearly struggling Red Bull.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Sunday\u2019s Grand Prix will be raced over 56 laps of the 5.451km (3.387-mile) Shanghai International Circuit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Italian teenager breaks an 18-year-old record in China to become the youngest pole sitter in Formula One history. Listen to this article\u00a0|\u00a03 mins info Published On 14 Mar 202614 Mar 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share plus2googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Italian \u2060teenager Kimi Antonelli said it was \u201cjust the beginning\u201d [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15045,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15044","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asia-pacific"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15044","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15044"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15044\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15045"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15044"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15044"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15044"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}