Hamilton ends three-year pole drought with first Ferrari pole in Mexico

Lewis Hamilton claimed pole position for the Mexico City Grand Prix on Saturday, beating George Russell by just 0.009 seconds. The seven-time world champion stopped the clock at 1 minute 16.514 seconds at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, earning his first grand prix pole since the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix, his 105th pole in Formula 1, and his first since joining Ferrari. It was also Ferrari's first pole of the 2026 season.

The top five were covered by less than two-tenths of a second, a margin so small that a single imperfect corner could have changed the order completely.

A final lap decided by nine thousandths

Charles Leclerc held provisional pole after the opening runs in Q3, but the order changed quickly on the final attempts. Russell went fastest first, posting 1:16.523 and briefly looking like the man who would start Sunday's race from the front. Hamilton answered moments later, edging his former Mercedes team-mate by nine thousandths of a second.

Leclerc could not improve enough on his last run and finished third, 0.119 seconds behind Hamilton, giving Ferrari two cars in the top three. Max Verstappen qualified fourth, 0.178 seconds off pole, after a lock-up on his final lap cost him any chance of improving.

"I hope you're proud of yourselves too," Hamilton told his team over the radio once pole was confirmed. "You've got to keep pushing. We're on the right track but... woo! Such a good feeling."

Speaking afterwards, he said: "Oh man, I'm lost for words. We've really done a good job with the set-up over the weekend... My first, I think this is my first pole with Ferrari. And 105... I like that number."

Hamilton also became the oldest polesitter in Formula 1 since Mario Andretti in 1982, a footnote that underlines how long his wait had been.

Penalties reshape the second row

The qualifying order and Sunday's starting grid are not quite the same, because of penalties carried over from Friday practice. Verstappen will drop one place for his incident with Liam Lawson in second practice. That promotes championship leader Kimi Antonelli, who qualified fifth, 0.193 seconds behind Hamilton, to fourth on the grid, with Verstappen starting fifth.

Lando Norris, the reigning world champion, qualified sixth, 0.310 seconds off pole, after McLaren's strong pace in final practice faded when it mattered most. Isack Hadjar followed in the second Red Bull, after struggling to recover from an error on his first Q3 effort.

Lawson qualified eighth for Racing Bulls but also loses one place for the same Friday incident, so his team-mate Arvid Lindblad moves up from ninth to eighth, with Lawson ninth and Alpine's Pierre Gasly completing the top ten.

Piastri suffers a shock Q2 exit

The biggest surprise came earlier, in Q2, when Oscar Piastri was eliminated in 13th place. The McLaren driver reported that he had no rear grip and could not produce the improvement he needed on his final lap. He will start behind Audi's Nico Hulkenberg in 11th and Alpine's Franco Colapinto in 12th, with Gabriel Bortoleto 14th, Ollie Bearman 15th and Carlos Sainz 16th also eliminated.

Q1 had already produced drama. Fernando Alonso was ordered by Aston Martin to stop his car in the Estadio section after a suspected water pressure issue linked to the energy recovery system, bringing out a red flag with 11 minutes remaining. He still qualified 18th, because the push lap he had completed before stopping was quick enough to keep him ahead of several rivals.

Alex Albon was eliminated in 17th, while Ryo Hirakawa finished 19th in his first Formula 1 qualifying session for Haas, having replaced Esteban Ocon for the remainder of the weekend. Home favourite Sergio Perez qualified 21st for Cadillac, ahead of team-mate Valtteri Bottas in 22nd, with Lance Stroll 20th.

What Sunday now promises

Hamilton's pole does not guarantee a win, and Mexico has a habit of punishing a poor start. The run from the grid to the first corner is unusually long, which means Russell, Leclerc and Antonelli will all have a chance to challenge into Turn 1, even from the second row.

For Hamilton, though, the immediate significance is simpler. After more than three years without a grand prix pole, he will lead the field away on Sunday afternoon. The race begins at 14:00 local time in Mexico City, with Hamilton on pole, Russell alongside him, and the championship fight still to be settled further back.