Mexico City GP Qualifying: Lewis Hamilton claims first pole position for Ferrari by edging out Mercedes' George Russell
Lewis Hamilton claims first grand prix pole position for Ferrari in Mexico City; Hamilton edged out George Russell for first pole since July 2023; watch Sunday's race at 8pm (build-up from 6.30pm) to see if Kimi Antonelli can become champion, live on Sky Sports F1
Saturday 31 October 2026 23:39, UK
Lewis Hamilton claimed his first pole position for Ferrari by edging out Mercedes' George Russell in qualifying for the Mexico City Grand Prix.
Hamilton had been outpaced by his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc throughout the weekend but the 41-year-old produced his best lap when it mattered most at the end of Q3 to edge out Russell by nine thousandths of a second.
The seven-time world champion has twice claimed Sprint poles since his move from Mercedes to Ferrari at the start of the 2025 season but will now start a grand prix from the front of the grid for the first time since July 2023 after extending his record tally to 105 poles.
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Speaking over team radio after being confirmed as Formula 1's oldest pole-sitter for 44 years, Hamilton said: "Thank you so much, it has been such a long time coming."
Leclerc had led Max Verstappen after the first runs in Q3, but the pair had to settle for third and fourth, respectively, after both making errors on their final efforts.
Kimi Antonelli, who will be crowned F1's youngest ever world champion on Sunday if he finishes ninth or higher, was almost two tenths off the pace in fifth.
Antonelli will start from fourth as a result of Verstappen having been handed a one-place grid penalty for a collision with Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson during second practice on Friday.
Lando Norris took sixth for McLaren as his team-mate Oscar Piastri suffered a surprise Q2 exit that leaves the Australian starting 13th.
Isack Hadjar was seventh in the other Red Bull, finishing a place ahead of Lawson, who also drops a position on Sunday's grid for his role in Friday's collision with Verstappen.
His Racing Bulls team-mate Arvid Lindblad will climb a position to eighth on the grid, while Alpine's Pierre Gasly rounds out the top 10.
Despite appearing to have the pace to advance from Q1, Fernando Alonso exited in the first part of the session after suffering a water pressure issue that caused him to stop on track and resulted in a brief red-flag stoppage.
Ryo Hirakawa was 19th on his F1 qualifying debut having been drafted in to replace Esteban Ocon following a fall out between the French driver and team boss Ayao Komatsu on Friday evening.
Hamilton 'lost for words' after ending pole wait
Not for the first time this season, Ferrari had gone into Saturday as pole favourites after a strong showing on Friday saw Leclerc comfortably top both sessions.
While Ferrari impressed, Hamilton endured a challenging Friday as he lost a big chunk of track time after a technical issue caused him to stop on track in second practice.
Ferrari's advantage appeared to have disappeared overnight when Leclerc was third and Hamilton only sixth in final practice on Saturday, but they returned to form in the opening stages of qualifying.
Hamilton topped Q1, before Verstappen edged both Ferraris in Q2, with Norris actually finishing fastest having used fresh tyres at the end of the period.
Even with Verstappen facing his grid penalty, there was still major uncertainty over whether a Ferrari would start from the front of the grid given the way they have repeatedly fallen away when in contention for pole at recent races.
In keeping with the weekend's form, Leclerc was the faster Ferrari on the first Q3 runs, edging Verstappen by 0.045s, with an error in the middle sector leaving Hamilton four tenths off the pace in fourth.
However, it was all change on the second runs, with Russell coming from nowhere to momentarily take provisional pole, before Hamilton bettered him by the smallest of margins with his time of 1:16.514s to go fastest.
Leclerc was next up, but this time was unable to hook up his lap and only marginally improved on his previous effort to remain more than a tenth back from Hamilton.
Verstappen was up on Hamilton after two sectors, but locked up in the slow-speed final part of the lap after coming up behind Norris, with the Dutchman saying the presence of the McLaren meant he lost his braking reference.
That confirmed Hamilton's first pole since the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix, leading to joyous celebrations from F1's record race-winner as he clenched both fists after exiting the cockpit before running into the arms of his mechanics.
Speaking moments later, Hamilton said: "That felt great! That feels good! I'm so happy. I'm lost for words. It's been a really challenging weekend.
"It feels special to be here in Mexico and [pole position] 105, I like that number."
Antonelli under the radar but on course to seal title
Despite being on the brink of history, Antonelli has remained largely under the radar on what is highly likely to be his crowning weekend.
A brilliant pole position and victory at the United States Grand Prix last weekend for the 20-year-old Mercedes driver left him only needing to finish ninth in Mexico to seal the title.
Antonelli will only need to finish ninth in the event Russell or Hamilton - his two nearest challengers - win the race. If neither of the British duo is victorious, Antonelli will become champion regardless of his own result.
He was excused from fulfilling his media duties on Thursday as he attempted to recover from a viral illness, and although he performed solidly throughout practice, has appeared to lack some of his usual energy.
The Italian produced a decent lap to climb to fifth, but his near two-tenth deficit to Russell perhaps backed up his claim after the session that he "still not feeling 100 per cent."
Antonelli told Sky Sports F1: "I struggled to get a good feeling from the tyres in Q3. I just didn't have the most confidence. I was a bit tense, I am not going to lie.
"It has not been the easiest weekend. Definitely still not feeling 100 per cent. There is talk of what is there and definitely I'm a bit more tense than usual.
"Definitely I don't feel as relaxed, but I try to have a good sleep tonight and focus on tomorrow."
Sky Sports F1's live Mexico City GP schedule
Sunday November 1
6.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Mexico City GP build-up
8pm: THE MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX*
10pm: Chequered Flag: Mexico City GP reaction
11pm: Ted's Notebook
*also on Sky Sports Main Event
Formula 1 is in Mexico City where Kimi Antonelli could win the Drivers' Championship in Sunday's race at 8pm (build-up from 6.30pm), live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW - no contract, cancel anytime
