Hamilton Secures First Ferrari Pole in Mexico City
Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton achieved his first pole position for Ferrari and his first in over three years at the Mexico City Grand Prix, narrowly beating teammate George Russell.
Lewis Hamilton secured his first pole position for Ferrari, and his first in more than three years, at the Mexico City Grand Prix. The seven-time champion edged out Mercedes' George Russell by a mere 0.009 seconds, locking out the front row for the race.
This marks Hamilton's 105th career pole and makes him the oldest driver to achieve pole position since Mario Andretti in 1982. The Briton expressed his elation, stating, "Oh man, I'm lost for words. It's been a really challenging weekend... to have pole here, wow, it feels special. It's my first pole for Ferrari, and 105th, I like that number."
Hamilton's achievement comes after a challenging weekend that included an engine issue on Friday, which limited practice time. Despite the setback, Hamilton and his team worked on the car's setup, leading to his qualifying success.
Behind the Mercedes duo, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc qualified third, followed by Kimi Antonelli in fifth. However, Antonelli will start fourth due to a one-place grid penalty for Red Bull's Max Verstappen, who was on a faster lap before locking up into a hairpin on his final attempt. Verstappen ultimately qualified fourth but will drop to fifth.
The qualifying result has implications for the world championship. Antonelli can clinch the title on Sunday if Russell wins and Antonelli finishes ninth or lower, or if Hamilton wins and Antonelli finishes outside the points.