Miami (TDI): Mercedes’ Italian novice, Kimi Antonelli, has become Formula One’s youngest polesitter after his mighty final lap in the 2025 Miami Grand Prix, on Friday.
The 18-year-old was preparing for his sixth grand prix this weekend, when he lapped with the best time of one minute 26.482 seconds, outperforming McLaren’s top scorer, Oscar Piastri, by 0.045 seconds.
Antonelli, who replaced the seven-times world champion, Lewis Hamilton, in January, expressed disbelief over his latest performance, “I did not see that coming, to be honest. I thought the lap was good and I was happy with it.”
“There were still a few bits where I could have done a bit better but I feel super happy with how I put all the sectors together,” he added.
Toto Wolff, Mercedes’ boss, said that it did not matter what kind of pole it was, “It’s about the trajectory. It’s not whether it’s a pole in only the sprint, or a pole tomorrow or in the future, he’s done it and he’s quickest.”
In Saturday’s 100km race, only the top eight places scored points. Hamilton stood at the seventh position with his teammate Charles Leclerc at sixth. Hamilton was the champion of the first sprint race of this season in China from pole position for Ferrari.
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George Russell of Mercedes’ lined up ahead of them at fifth position. Williams’ driver, Alex Albon, secured eighth position while Fernando Alonso, for Aston Martin, completing the top 10.
Before Kimi Antonelli’s win, the previous youngest-ever pole sitter was Sebastian Vettel who, at the age of 21, snatched victory at the Italian Grand Prix with Toro Rosso, in 2008.
Formula One had, earlier, handed the longest race contract to Miami in the racing sports, securing the Grand Prix until year 2041, with a ten-year extension atop of the existing decade-long contract.
Javaria Khalid is a writer and researcher, who specializes in Pakistan's Foreign Policy Analysis, transatlantic geopolitics, and Pakistan’s relations with the European countries and the EU. She can be reached at javariakhalid011@outlook.com
