Motor racing: Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli storms to second consecutive pole in Japan
Two weeks after his first pole position and victory, the 19-year-old Mercedes driver lit up the timing loops around the iconic 5.8 kilometer Suzuka circuit with a one-minute, 28.778-second lap.
It was enough to beat teammate George Russell by 0.298 seconds on his first attempt; The Briton achieved three of the three lockouts in the front row.
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Australian Oscar Piastri finished third, 0.354 seconds behind McLaren.
“I felt very good in the car and I was improving and improving with every race,” said Antonelli, who showed a calm demeanor after taking second and 50th place in his career for an Italian driver.
“I’m really happy with the session and now we’ll focus on tomorrow,” he added; A minor crash in his last run that prevented him from improving further was the only indication of his relative inexperience.
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Antonelli enters Sunday’s race excited by his success in China and knowing that a repeat performance in Japan will take him to the title from Russell, who is four points ahead.
The Briton, winner of the opening race in Australia and the Saturday sprint in China, complained throughout the session about the lack of rear grip and never looked in a position to challenge his younger team-mate.
