Kimi Antonelli took pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix ahead of Mercedes team-mate George Russell on Saturday as Max Verstappen suffered another qualifying nightmare. Mercedes have claimed one-two finishes at both grands prix so far in a flying start to the Formula One season and they were again dominant in dry conditions at Suzuka. 

The 19-year-old Italian Antonelli became the youngest pole-sitter in F1 history two weeks ago in China and he made it two in a row with a fastest lap of 1min 28.778sec. Early championship leader Russell was second, 0.298sec behind, with McLaren's Oscar Piastri third and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc fourth. Antonelli, who won the first grand prix of his F1 career in China two weeks ago, said it was "a really clean session". "There's still work to do in these big tracks with the energy, how to find a solution that allows us to push even more and drive without thinking too much," he said.