Hamilton Takes Mexico City GP Pole by 0.009s: First Pole With Ferrari, 105th of His Career
Lewis Hamilton took pole position for the Mexico City Grand Prix on October 31 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, Mexico, posting a lap of 1:16.514 to beat Mercedes driver George Russell by 0.009 seconds. It was Hamilton's first pole position since joining Ferrari and the 105th pole of his career, according to Formula 1, which published the qualifying results and Hamilton's post-session interview.
Hamilton's previous pole had come at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix, more than three years earlier. Formula 1 said he thereby became the oldest polesitter in F1 since Mario Andretti at the 1982 Italian Grand Prix. Mexico City also became the 22nd circuit at which he has taken more than one pole, having first qualified on pole there in 2016.
The final segment of qualifying turned into a three-way fight. Hamilton's Ferrari team mate Charles Leclerc held provisional pole before Russell moved to the top on his final run, only for Hamilton to respond with his 1:16.514 lap. Leclerc ended third with a 1:16.633, giving Ferrari two of the top three grid slots and the team's first pole of the season.
Behind them, Red Bull's Max Verstappen qualified fourth but will start fifth after a one-place grid penalty for a Friday practice collision with Liam Lawson. Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli qualified fifth with a 1:16.707 and moves up to fourth on the grid. McLaren's Lando Norris starts sixth, while Oscar Piastri was eliminated in the second segment in 13th. Lawson's qualifying times were deleted for a technical breach, moving Arvid Lindblad up to eighth on the grid.
The other storyline for Sunday's race centres on Antonelli: the championship leader needs only a ninth-place finish or better to clinch this season's world championship. Hamilton, meanwhile, will chase his second victory since joining Ferrari and continue his fight for second place in the drivers' standings.
"Wow! That felt great," Hamilton told Formula 1 after the session. "I'm lost for words. It's been a really, really tough, challenging weekend." Told he was the oldest polesitter since 1982, he added: "When there's a will, there's a way, you know? And I think it's all in the mind, honestly." The Mexico City Grand Prix starts at 2 p.m. local time on Sunday.
Related: Norris fastest in final Mexico City practice by 0.001s as Antonelli closes on title
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：法拉利车手 Lewis Hamilton 驾驶法拉利 SF-25 赛车参加排位赛（资料图，2025年9月意大利大奖赛排位赛）。Eustace Bagge 摄，CC BY 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton in the Ferrari SF-25 during qualifying (file photo, 2025 Italian Grand Prix qualifying). Photo by Eustace Bagge, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
- 2026-10-31Norris Fastest in Final Mexico City Practice by 0.001 Seconds: Antonelli Needs Only Ninth Place to Clinch the Title
- 2026-10-31Hamilton Takes Mexico City GP Pole by 0.009s: First Pole With Ferrari, 105th of His CareerThis story
