Andrea Kimi Antonelli has made Italian Formula 1 history by breaking Alberto Ascari’s long-standing record for the most pole positions achieved by an Italian driver in a single season. The Mercedes driver secured his seventh pole position of the 2026 championship during qualifying for the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of The Americas, surpassing the six-pole benchmark established by Alberto Ascari in 1953.
The achievement represents another remarkable milestone for the young Italian, who continues to rewrite his country’s Formula 1 records while moving ever closer to a potential maiden world championship. With his outstanding qualifying performance in Austin, Andrea Kimi Antonelli has surpassed a record that had remained untouched for 73 years.
Kimi Antonelli surpasses Alberto Ascari’s historic Italian F1 record
Alberto Ascari established the previous national record during the 1953 Formula 1 season, taking six pole positions while competing for Ferrari. The legendary Italian driver went on to secure his second consecutive world championship that year, cementing his place among the greatest drivers in the sport’s history.
Now, more than seven decades later, Andrea Kimi Antonelli has taken the Italian single-season pole position record to seven, becoming the first driver from his country to achieve that total in a Formula 1 championship.
The comparison carries particular historical significance because Alberto Ascari’s extraordinary Ferrari career remains one of the defining chapters in Italian motorsport. His world titles in 1952 and 1953 established him as the benchmark for Italian success in Formula 1, and he remains the country’s most recent world champion.
Mercedes driver moves closer to the 2026 Formula 1 world title
Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s latest record comes at a crucial stage of the 2026 championship. His pole position at Austin adds another achievement to a remarkable season in which the Mercedes driver has established himself as a leading contender for the world title.
With seven pole positions already secured, the Italian has demonstrated exceptional single-lap speed and consistency throughout the campaign. His latest achievement also reinforces the growing significance of his performances as the championship battle approaches its conclusion.
Beyond the statistics, the prospect of Andrea Kimi Antonelli becoming Formula 1 world champion would carry enormous significance for Italian motorsport. Alberto Ascari was the last Italian driver to win the Drivers’ World Championship, in 1953, and Andrea Kimi Antonelli now has the opportunity to follow in his footsteps.
For the Mercedes driver, the historic pole position in Austin represents another major step towards that ambition. Having already surpassed Alberto Ascari’s long-standing qualifying record, Andrea Kimi Antonelli is moving closer to the achievement that would complete an extraordinary chapter in Italian Formula 1 history.
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