Lewis Hamilton Claims First Ferrari Grand Prix Pole in Mexico

Lewis Hamilton claimed his first Grand Prix pole position for Ferrari on Saturday, edging George Russell by 0.009 seconds in qualifying for the Mexico City Grand Prix. His lap of 1:16.514 put the seven-time world champion ahead of Russell’s Mercedes and Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc.

The result ended a wait stretching back to the Hungarian Grand Prix in July 2023, when Hamilton was still driving for Mercedes. It was the 105th pole of his Formula 1 career, adding Ferrari to the teams with which he has topped a Grand Prix qualifying session.

Hamilton had lost power during Friday practice, but recovered to lead the opening qualifying segment. An untidy start to the second phase did not prevent him reaching the final shootout, where Leclerc set the early pace before the decisive late laps. Russell’s challenge fell just short of Hamilton’s time.

Leclerc finished third in 1:16.633, ahead of Max Verstappen’s Red Bull in 1:16.692 and Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes in 1:16.707. Lando Norris qualified sixth, followed by Isack Hadjar, Liam Lawson, Arvid Lindblad and Pierre Gasly in the remaining top-10 positions.

The session was less successful for McLaren than its final practice pace had suggested. Norris reached the final segment, but Oscar Piastri was eliminated in the second phase. Fernando Alonso’s opening session ended early after water-pressure trouble caused his Aston Martin to lose electrical power.

The official classification placed Piastri 13th, behind Nico Hülkenberg and Franco Colapinto among the second-session eliminations. Ryo Hirakawa was 19th in his first Formula 1 qualifying appearance, ahead of Lance Stroll, Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas. Hamilton completed 20 qualifying laps, while Russell ran 22 and Leclerc 24. Those times settled Saturday’s qualifying order before Sunday’s Grand Prix. Verstappen had been quickest in the second segment, recording 1:16.876 before Hamilton’s final-session qualifying improvement.