Kimi Antonelli's pole position at the Chinese Grand Prix comes with an added layer of unexpected F1 history - one only achieved by world champions.
The Mercedes driver beat his team-mate George Russell to land a second pole of the season, following China.
In taking pole position on March 28th, Antonelli has joined a list of four F1 world champions in doing so.
Crucially for the Italian, the four drivers who have taken pole on March 28th all went on to take that year's F1 drivers' title.
At this early stage, with a Mercedes driver looking set to claim the championship this year, can Antonelli follow in the illustrious footsteps of the four champions with 13 titles between them?
Check out the list below!
F1 pole positions on March 28th
| Driver | Race | Result | World champion that season? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nelson Piquet | 1981 Brazil | 12th | Yes |
| Mika Hakkinen | 1998 Brazil | 1st | Yes |
| Jenson Button | 2009 Australia | 1st | Yes |
| Lewis Hamilton | 2015 Malaysia | 2nd | Yes |
| Kimi Antonelli | 2026 Japan | - | ? |
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