The 20-year-old Italian set the fastest lap in qualifying in Austin, Texas, with a time of 1:34.035, earning his seventh pole position of the year. Antonelli has his first chance to win the title at the 18th race of the world championship season (9pm CET). "That feels good!" Antonelli radioed to the pits.
Just under two-tenths of a second separated Antonelli from Max Verstappen, who took second after winning the previous two races in Malaysia and Singapore. Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate Isack Hadjar was third.
Ferrari could not carry their strong practice form into qualifying. Charles Leclerc managed only fourth, ahead of record world champion Lewis Hamilton. George Russell also disappointed, finishing sixth in the other Mercedes.
Mercedes had made a poor start to the weekend
Audi showed good teamwork. Gabriel Bortoleto must start from the back of the field on Sunday due to an engine penalty, so the Brazilian gave his German team-mate Nico Hülkenberg a slipstream. Hülkenberg still managed only 11th on the grid.
After mixed performances in practice, Mercedes headed into qualifying with problems to solve. "We have one or two corners that ruin the whole lap for us," Mercedes motorsport chief Toto Wolff had said on Sky. The overheated tyre would then fail to recover in the final sector. Mercedes had also been unable to find the right front-wing setting.
In Q3, those problems disappeared. Antonelli quickly set what was then the fastest time, raising the bar for pole position. His rivals could not match him with their final attempts.
How can Kimi Antonelli become world champion in Austin?
With 340 points, Antonelli can become the youngest world champion in history at the 18th race of the season. Russell, his closest challenger, is 102 points behind, while Hamilton trails by 111 points. Six races remain, with a maximum of 150 points still available.To become world champion before the end of the season, Antonelli must win Sunday's race, while Russell must finish no higher than ninth and Hamilton no higher than fifth.