Lewis Hamilton has finally taken pole position for Ferrari. The seven-time world champion edged Mercedes’ George Russell by just nine thousandths of a second in qualifying for the Mexico City Grand Prix on Saturday, setting up a fascinating Sunday in which Kimi Antonelli can wrap up the world championship.
Hamilton’s lap of 1:16.514 at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez was his first pole since joining the Scuderia. “It has been such a long time coming,” he told the team over the radio, according to Sky Sports.
Oldest polesitter since Andretti
Formula 1’s official site reported that Hamilton is now the oldest driver to take pole since Mario Andretti in 1982. Hamilton described it as a special feeling after a difficult weekend and credited the team’s work on set-up and tyre management.
Russell admitted he had gambled by going straight into his final Q3 lap without a preparation lap, and said it was the right call, even if it left him agonisingly short. Charles Leclerc made it two Ferraris in the top three despite what he called a scrappy final run.
Max Verstappen qualified fourth but drops to fifth because of a one-place grid penalty for a collision with Liam Lawson in second practice. That promotes Antonelli to fourth. Lawson’s own afternoon went from bad to worse: Racing Bulls’ car was found to be below the minimum MGU-K power requirement after his fastest Q2 lap, and he was disqualified from qualifying and will start from the back, RacingNews365 and Sky Sports reported.
Oscar Piastri was knocked out in Q2 and will start in the lower half of the top 15, while Fernando Alonso fell in Q1 after a water pressure problem.
Mercedes puzzle and Verstappen’s lock-up
Russell’s near miss came with a warning for his own team. He said Mercedes still needs to understand why it has not been able to unlock its performance consistently, F1 reported. That matters on Sunday: a Russell win would keep Antonelli under pressure to bring the car home in the points.
Verstappen, meanwhile, believes he had a shot at pole until he lost his reference in dirty air and locked up on his final run. He said the car was in the right window, which he thinks bodes well for the race, so the Dutchman could be a factor from fifth. Leclerc said third was a fair result given he starts on the clean side of the grid, which can help off the line in Mexico.
Further back, Mexico’s own Sergio Pérez will line up 20th for Cadillac in front of his home crowd, according to RacingNews365’s adjusted order, while Aston Martin’s Alonso and Lance Stroll face a long afternoon from 17th and 18th.
What Antonelli needs to be champion
The 20-year-old Mercedes driver, who arrived in Mexico with a huge points lead and shook off a viral illness that kept him away from Thursday’s media day, admitted to Sky Sports he had been “a bit tense”. He told F1 he struggled to get grip from his tyres in Q3 and made too many mistakes.
The maths remain simple, though. According to Sky Sports, if Hamilton or Russell wins the race, Antonelli must finish ninth or higher to become Formula 1’s youngest ever world champion. If neither of them wins, Antonelli takes the title whatever happens to him.
Starting fourth, on a track where the long run to the first corner often reshuffles the order, he will want to keep out of trouble at the start.
What happens next
The Mexico City Grand Prix starts at 8pm Irish time on Sunday 1 November, live on Sky Sports F1, with build-up from 6.30pm. Irish fans can expect a nervy evening: one clean race from Antonelli ends the championship, while a Hamilton win from pole would give Ferrari and their veteran star a long-awaited moment of their own.
Front of the grid: Hamilton, Russell, Leclerc, Antonelli, Verstappen, Lando Norris, Isack Hadjar, Arvid Lindblad, Pierre Gasly and Nico Hülkenberg.
Sources
- Sky Sports: Mexico City GP qualifying, Lewis Hamilton claims first pole for Ferrari (31 October 2026)
- Formula 1: What the teams said, qualifying in Mexico City (31 October 2026)
- RacingNews365: Adjusted Mexico City GP qualifying results after disqualification (31 October 2026)
Featured image: 2025 Japan GP – Ferrari – Lewis Hamilton – FP1 by Liauzh, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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