Antonelli chases title from Soft-shod pole position

Kimi Antonelli will start the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of The Americas from pole position. The championship leader secured the fastest time in qualifying with a 1’34’’035 lap, narrowly edging out the two Red Bulls.

Max Verstappen finished second with a 1’34’’214, while team-mate Isack Hadjar qualified third in 1’34’’250. Throughout the session, the Soft compound was the tyre of choice.

However, Oscar Piastri, George Russell and Antonelli stood out in Q1 by completing some runs on the Medium before switching, like everyone else, to the C4. The Italian used four new sets of Soft tyres, while Verstappen and Hadjar each used three.

In the third free practice session, Lewis Hamilton set the benchmark with a 1’34’’893. Verstappen was second on 1’35’’061, with Charles Leclerc third on 1’35’’127. The Monegasque driver set his best lap on the Medium, unlike Hamilton and Verstappen, who both recorded their quickest times on the Soft.

Over the course of the entire FP3 session, Hamilton ran exclusively on the C4, using two new sets. Verstappen began the session on a new set of Medium tyres before switching to a new set of Softs. Leclerc opened the session on a new set of Mediums, completing three stints on the same set before fitting a new set of Softs.

As was also the case yesterday, temperatures in Austin remained high, with track temperatures reaching 40°C. Forecasts suggest that peak temperatures during Sunday’s race could be slightly lower.

The Pirelli Pole Position Award was presented by Andrea Dovizioso. The Italian rider was European 125cc champion in 2001 and world champion in 2004. In MotoGP he claimed 15 victories and 62 podium finishes, fought for the world title in three consecutive seasons and established himself as one of the most successful riders of his generation.

DARIO MARRAFUSCHI – PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR

“The Free Practice session today provided indications consistent with those that emerged yesterday. The C4 confirmed a performance advantage over the C3 in terms of both grip and lap time, a factor that ensures clear differentiation between the available options. In race pace running, however, the two softer compounds proved to be very closely matched, increasing the number of strategic scenarios available to the teams.

The simulations indicate that a one-stop strategy remains the most effective solution in terms of overall race time. The Soft-Medium combination could be chosen by more than one team in order to maximise the grip advantage offered by the red-banded tyre.

The Hard nevertheless remains a valid option for the second stint, regardless of whether the race is started on the Soft or the Medium. An early neutralisation could in fact encourage teams to complete the remainder of the Grand Prix on the C2.

Should degradation prove higher than expected, a two-stop strategy based on a Soft-Medium-Soft sequence could also become an attractive option. The time difference compared with the one-stop strategy remains relatively small, but track position and the potential impact of traffic must also be taken into account. Ultimately, it will be the evolution of track conditions and tomorrow’s temperatures that determine the choices made by the teams. ”