Lewis Hamilton secures first Ferrari pole in Mexico, extends career total to 105

Lewis Hamilton claimed his first pole position for Ferrari at the Mexico Grand Prix in Mexico City on 2026-11-01, extending his Formula 1 career pole tally to 105. He edged Mercedes' George Russell by 0.009 seconds, with Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc third.

Hamilton recovered from a difficult start to the weekend after an engine problem during second practice forced him to stop and deprived him of long-run running. After placing fourth on his initial Q3 runs, he produced a decisive final lap to snatch pole from Russell, delivering his first pole since the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix and his first while driving for Ferrari.

On the achievement Hamilton said: "I feel great, that feels good, I am at a loss for words." He added, "We did a pretty good job with the setup in the weekend. It feels special for me in Mexico, my first pole for Ferrari here." Reflecting on the moment he also said: "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."

The pole extended Hamilton's all-time lead to 105 career poles and made him the oldest driver to take an F1 pole since Mario Andretti did so for Ferrari in 1982, aged 42; at 41 he is the fifth-oldest driver to secure pole. Nino Farina remains the oldest, having achieved the feat at 47 years and two months.

The result ended a 30-race pole drought for Ferrari. Hamilton, a two-time winner of the Mexican Grand Prix, now aims to convert his qualifying advantage into a race victory; the last Ferrari to win from pole in Mexico was Carlos Sainz in 2024.

Kimi Antonelli qualified fifth but will start fourth after Max Verstappen received a one-place grid penalty. Antonelli can become the youngest world champion in F1 history by breaking Sebastian Vettel's record of 23 years and can finish as low as ninth on Sunday and still secure the title, provided the other championship permutations fall in his favour. Russell and Hamilton remain among those who can delay his coronation, and Antonelli is also pursuing the distinction of becoming the first Italian world champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953.

Sunday's race will determine whether Hamilton turns pole into victory and whether the championship reaches a decisive moment for Antonelli.