Kimi Antonelli claimed his first Formula 1 pole position at the Chinese Grand Prix, breaking Sebastian Vettel's 18-year-old record as the youngest driver to top qualifying. The 19-year-old Italian finished 0.222 seconds ahead of Mercedes teammate George Russell, who suffered a gearbox failure that limited him to just one flying lap in Q3.

Russell had been the man to beat after winning Saturday's sprint race to extend his championship lead to 11 points. However, he first reported handling issues in Q2 before his car stopped on track early in the final qualifying session. Despite emerging with two minutes remaining, the world championship leader couldn't match Antonelli's pace.

Lewis Hamilton qualified third for Ferrari, while teammate Charles Leclerc took fourth. McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris will start fifth and sixth respectively. The session marked a breakthrough moment for Antonelli, who at 19 years, six months and 18 days old surpassed Vettel's previous record set at Monza in 2008.