Antonelli takes US GP pole with title within reach

Kimi Antonelli secured pole position for the United States Grand Prix on Saturday, putting the Formula 1 championship leader in a position to clinch his first world title in Sunday’s race if key rivals finish outside specified positions. The Mercedes driver set a Q3 time of 1:34.035 at Circuit of the Americas, 0.179 seconds faster than Max Verstappen of Red Bull. Verstappen’s teammate Isack Hadjar qualified third. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton took fourth and fifth, while Antonelli’s Mercedes teammate George Russell qualified sixth. Antonelli leads Russell by 102 points with six races remaining, according to the reported standings. He can secure the championship in Austin if he wins and Russell finishes ninth or lower, while Hamilton finishes fifth or lower. If those conditions are not met, the title remains undecided after the race. The pole was Antonelli’s seventh of the season and his first since the Belgian Grand Prix. The 20-year-old had not appeared to be the leading contender earlier in qualifying, but moved to the top in Q3 and held the position through the final attempts. Verstappen and Hadjar could not improve enough to displace him. Ferrari had been...