Lewis Hamilton took his first pole position for Ferrari, beating Mercedes’ George Russell by 0.009 seconds in Mexico City qualifying. Charles Leclerc starts third, and championship leader Kimi Antonelli lines up fourth with the world title within reach in Sunday’s race.
Mexico City, Mexico: The lap that mattered came last. Hamilton had been outpaced by Leclerc for most of the weekend and had lost Friday running to power-unit trouble, yet he found 1:16.514 when the Autódromo Hermanos RodrÃguez was at its fastest and ended a pole drought that stretched back to the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix.
Nine thousandths decide a frantic Q3
Hamilton set 1:17.069 on his first Q3 run, and Leclerc then moved to the top by more than four-tenths. Lando Norris came closest to the Ferrari, and Max Verstappen was in the hunt for pole before the final runs.
Russell then went quickest with a strong effort, and the order looked settled until Hamilton crossed the line on his final attempt. His 1:16.514 left Russell 0.009s adrift. Leclerc finished 0.119s off the pace after losing time through the middle sector, and Verstappen locked up on his last lap, ending fourth on the timesheet, 0.178s back.
The grid takes shape
Verstappen starts fifth rather than fourth because of the one-place penalty he and Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson collected for their collision in Friday’s second practice. That promotes Antonelli, fifth on pace at 0.193s, to fourth on the grid, with Norris sixth. Hadjar, Arvid Lindblad, Lawson and Pierre Gasly complete the top ten, Lindblad moving up to eighth and Lawson dropping to ninth.
There was drama lower down. Fernando Alonso stopped on track in Q1 with a suspected water-pressure problem on his Aston Martin, bringing out a red flag and ending his session in 18th. Oscar Piastri, who reported a lack of rear grip, was eliminated in Q2 and will start 13th. Ryo Hirakawa, in the Haas for the weekend in place of Esteban Ocon, made his qualifying debut and took 19th.
A Ferrari breakthrough and a title on the line
For Hamilton the pole is the 105th of his career and the first in a grand prix qualifying session for Ferrari, a landmark that follows a weekend in which Leclerc headed both Friday sessions and Hamilton stopped with a power-unit fault. It also puts Ferrari on the front row of a Mexico City race that will shape the championship.
Antonelli does not need to win. A finish of ninth or better would make him Formula 1’s youngest world champion, as laid out in the title scenarios for Mexico. With Russell alongside Hamilton on the front row, Mercedes starts the race with both cars close to the front and everything to play for.
Starting grid, Mexico City Grand Prix: 1. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) 1:16.514; 2. George Russell (Mercedes) +0.009s; 3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.119s; 4. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes); 5. Max Verstappen (Red Bull); 6. Lando Norris (McLaren); 7. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull); 8. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls); 9. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls); 10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine).
