Kimi Antonelli at the United States Grand Prix - Photo: Race Pictures

0.006 seconds to spare: Hamilton pips Antonelli to place in SQ3

00:12, 18 Oct

Updated: 01:01, 18 Oct

byOlly Darcy

Sprint qualifying at the United States Grand Prix has seen plenty of shocks, with Kimi Antonelli the latest to be prematurely knocked out by 0.006 seconds behind Lewis Hamilton.

It started when Yuki Tsunoda qualified down in P18, unable to get a chance at a final lap due to a time misjudgement out of his garage.

Another frontrunner was then eliminated just a few minutes later, with Antonelli, Hamilton and Charles Leclerc battling for the final spot in SQ3, which the young Italian missed out on by the smallest of margins.

Kimi Antonelli in FP1 action at the United States Grand Prix - Photo: Race Pictures

Going into the final round of laps, it looked certain that one of the Ferrari's would be eliminated, with Leclerc down in P13 after the first round of laps as he struggled for pace.

However, a much-improved lap saw him jump to safety, while Hamilton could only go into P10 with his final lap, with both Scuderia's struggling to find their pace.

But the seven-time world champion was able to find just enough pace to send him into the final session, meaning Antonelli, who was the Brit's successor as Mercedes for this campaign, missed out.

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