Lewis Hamilton has claimed his first pole position for Ferrari and his first for more than three years at the Mexico City Grand Prix. The seven-time F1 champion beat Mercedes driver George Russell by just 0.009 seconds as the two drivers capable of stopping Kimi Antonelli from clinching the world title on Sunday locked out the front row.
Qualifying Drama and Title Scenarios
Antonelli qualified fifth behind Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, but will start fourth due to a one-place penalty for the Dutchman. The sole way Antonelli can be prevented from winning the title is if Russell wins and the Italian finishes lower than ninth, or if Hamilton wins and Antonelli fails to score points.
Hamilton’s pole is his first since the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix—three years and three months ago—and the 105th of his career. He is the oldest driver to secure a pole since Mario Andretti drove for Ferrari at the 1982 Italian Grand Prix. Both Hamilton and Russell went out early for their first runs and watched as rivals failed to beat them. Leclerc went first, falling short by 0.119 seconds, while Verstappen was fastest through two sectors before locking up into the hairpin in the stadium section and ruining his lap.
Reflecting on the achievement, Hamilton told BBC News (bbc.co.uk) that he was lost for words after a challenging weekend featuring an engine issue the previous day that limited his long runs. He added that the pole reminded him of watching Michael Schumacher secure victories and poles for Ferrari. Russell, starting alongside him, stated he was happy to end a difficult run of form despite making a unilateral decision not to do a preparation lap due to a gut feeling.
Rivals React to Qualifying Results
Verstappen attributed his time loss to traffic and dirty air from a nearby car entering the hairpin. McLaren’s Lando Norris, who looked strong earlier in the sessions, finished sixth after failing to improve on his final lap. Norris admitted he simply lacked speed, though he remained satisfied with his overall performance.
The top 10 was rounded out by Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls drivers Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad, and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly. However, Lawson was later disqualified from qualifying for a technical regulation infringement regarding the electrical deployment of the power unit, meaning he will start from the back.
Fernando Alonso appeared poised for his best qualifying result of the year for Aston Martin after going fastest on his initial lap. His session ended prematurely when his engine suffered a water leak in the energy recovery system as he began his second attempt while sitting third, forcing him to stop the car on track. Alonso expressed his frustration over ongoing reliability issues with brief answers during a post-session television interview.
