How Kimi Antonelli could have F1 pole record snatched away

Kimi Antonelli

How Kimi Antonelli could have F1 pole record snatched away

This is how the Italian's accolade could be snatched away

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Saturday 14 March 2026 17:57

Kimi Antonelli made history on Saturday at the Chinese Grand Prix, where he became F1's youngest ever polesitter.

The Italian teenager beat team-mate George Russell by more than two tenths of a second to take pole in Shanghai, with the Brit hampered by gear issues in Q3.

Russell came to a stop and returned to the pits stuck in first gear. Mercedes then performed a reset on his car and Russell set a lap good enough for P2, locking out the front row of the grid with Antonelli.

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Now, Antonelli sits in the F1 history books as the sport's youngest ever polesitter, beating Sebastian Vettel's record which had stood for 18 long years.

While it is difficult for the Italian's record to be beaten this year, there is still one driver who could snatch the accolade away from him.

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Lindblad could break Antonelli record

F1 rookie and Racing Bulls star Arvid Lindblad is currently the only driver young enough on the grid to beat Antonelli's record.

Born on August 8, 2007, Lindblad is the youngest driver in F1 and is currently 18-years-old. He has until February 25, 2027 (where he will be the age of 18y 06m 17d) to break the record, which means it will have to be achieved in the 2026 season.

While Lindblad certainly impressed on his debut, becoming the third youngest F1 points scorer in Melbourne, a pole may be too much to ask for Racing Bulls.

F1's youngest ever pole sitters

The all-time list of youngest ever pole sitters looks like this:

F1's youngest pole sitters
Position	Driver	Age	Grand Prix
1	Kimi Antonelli	19y 06m 18d	China 2026
2	Sebastian Vettel	21y 02m 11d	Italy 2008
3	Charles Leclerc	21y 05m 15d	Bahrain 2019
4	Fernando Alonso	21y 07m 23d	Malaysia 2003
5	Max Verstappen	21y 10m 05d	Hungary 2019
6	Lando Norris	21y 10m 13d	Russia 2021
7	Lance Stroll	22y 00m 77d	Turkey 2020
8	Rubens Barrichello	22y 03m 05d	Belgium 1994
9	Lewis Hamilton	22y 05m 03d	Canada 2007
10	Andrea De Cesaris	22y 10m 04d	Brazil 2010