Hamilton claims first pole for Ferrari at Mexico City GP

Hamilton claims first pole for Ferrari at Mexico City GP
skysports - 11/1/2026 12:34:10 AM - GMT (+2 )

Lewis Hamilton claimed his first pole position for Ferrari by edging out Mercedes' George Russell in qualifying for the Mexico City Grand Prix.

Hamilton had been outpaced by his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc throughout the weekend but produced his best lap when it mattered most at the end of Q3 to edge out Russell by nine thousandths of a second.

The seven-time world champion has twice claimed Sprint poles since his move from Mercedes to Ferrari at the start of the 2025 season but will now start a grand prix from the front of the grid for the first time since July 2023 after extending his record tally to 105 poles.

Leclerc had led Max Verstappen after the first runs in Q3, but the pair had to settle for third and fourth, respectively, after both making errors on their final efforts.

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Lewis Hamilton edged out George Russell to become the oldest person to claim pole position since 1982.

Kimi Antonelli, who will be crowned Formula 1's youngest ever world champion on Sunday if he finishes ninth or higher, was almost two tenths off the pace in fifth.

Antonelli will start from fourth as a result of Verstappen having been handed a one-place grid penalty for a collision with Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson during second practice on Friday.

Lando Norris took sixth for McLaren as his team-mate Oscar Piastri suffered a surprise Q2 exit that leaves the Australian starting 13th.