Hamilton claims first Ferrari pole at Mexico City Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton claimed his first pole position for Ferrari at the Mexico City Grand Prix on 31 October 2026, ending a drought of more than three years and registering the 105th pole of his career. He edged Mercedes team-mate George Russell by 0.009 seconds as the pair occupied the front row.

Hamilton’s pole came as Kimi Antonelli, one of only two drivers who can yet stop himself clinching the world title this weekend, qualified fifth behind Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen but will start fourth because Verstappen carries a one-place grid penalty. The only ways Antonelli can be prevented from winning the title are if Russell wins and Antonelli finishes lower than ninth, or if Hamilton wins and Antonelli is out of the points. Hamilton’s pole is his first since the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix, three years and three months ago, and makes him the oldest driver to take pole since Mario Andretti for Ferrari at the 1982 Italian Grand Prix.

Both Hamilton and Russell completed their opening runs early and were then forced to watch rivals attempt to better their times. Leclerc set the early benchmark but was 0.119 seconds slower than Hamilton’s eventual time, while Antonelli was never on target during qualifying. Verstappen looked fastest through two sectors and appeared on course to take pole until he locked up into the hairpin in the stadium section and ruined the lap.

Reflecting on his final effort, Hamilton said: "Oh man, I'm lost for words," and added: "It's been a really challenging weekend - we had the engine issue yesterday, which meant we were on the back foot and didn't do a long run. "We've done a really good job on the setup and to have pole here, wow, it feels special. It's my first pole for Ferrari, and 105th, I like that number. "To have your first Ferrari pole, it takes me back to watching Michael [Schumacher] get all those poles when he was at Ferrari and all those wins." He had been only fourth on the first runs, more than 0.4 seconds off Leclerc's pace, but on his final lap he said: "I don't think I lost any time anywhere. It was a super-good lap."

Russell said he was glad to have ended a run of difficult form but could not explain why, and revealed he chose not to do a preparation lap after his out lap on his final run, acting on a "gut feeling" despite the team having fuelled the car for the extra mileage. He added: "[The time loss for the extra fuel weight is] such a small number," said Russell, "but it's bigger than the gap to pole. Nevertheless, I'm just happy to be up here."

McLaren’s Lando Norris had shown early pace, sitting third behind Leclerc and Verstappen on the first runs, but failed to improve on his final lap and will start sixth. Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar, Racing Bulls pairing Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad, and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly completed the top 10.

Fernando Alonso briefly looked set for his best qualifying of the year for Aston Martin when he went fastest on his first lap of the session, but his engine suffered a water leak in the energy recovery system as he began his second attempt while still third and he was ordered to stop on track. In a short interview afterwards he answered four questions in nine words, confirming it had been an engine problem, saying "it was" a good opportunity, that it was "correct" the car had been looking good all weekend and that he could not do anything in the race "from the back".

Sunday’s race will decide whether Antonelli can clinch the world title this weekend; he will start fourth after Verstappen’s penalty and can only be denied the championship if Russell wins and Antonelli finishes lower than ninth, or if Hamilton wins and Antonelli scores no points.