Antonelli celebrates sixth pole but warns of Verstappen threat off the line

The Italian confirmed the dominant form he had shown throughout the weekend by securing pole position, despite Red Bull twice using Isack Hadjar in Q3 to provide Verstappen with a tow in an attempt to gain a few extra hundredths of a second.

Speaking after qualifying, Antonelli said he was delighted to secure pole position after what he described as a challenging session, with the constantly evolving track conditions making it difficult to find the limit. The Italian explained that he and the team managed to improve the car lap after lap, allowing him to clinch pole, but stressed that the job was far from over. With Verstappen starting alongside him on the front row, Antonelli underlined the importance of making a strong launch and staying ahead through Turn Five.

Antonelli said he was particularly pleased with his final lap, highlighting a significant improvement through the second sector compared to his previous attempt. While admitting there were still a few areas where he could have found a little more time, he felt it was a strong enough lap to secure pole position.

Asked what it would take to fight for victory in Sunday's race, Antonelli added: "A good start, and try to have good pace. Degradation is going to be very big, but we’ll try our best in order to maximise the performance. It’s going to be fun tomorrow.”