Lewis Hamilton claimed his first pole position for Ferrari in Mexico, ending a Formula 1 qualifying drought that had lasted since the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix. The seven-time world champion set a time of 1:16.514, with George Russell just 0.009 seconds behind.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc appeared to have the pace to challenge Hamilton, but an error in the fast section of the circuit left him third. Max Verstappen also made a mistake at the final braking zone and qualified fourth on the timing sheets. However, a penalty linked to his Friday incident with Liam Lawson will move him to fifth on the starting grid.
Kimi Antonelli will start fourth and has a major championship opportunity. According to the supplied qualifying report, finishing within the top nine would be enough for the Italian to become the youngest champion in Formula 1 history, regardless of whether one of his rivals wins.
Lando Norris qualified sixth, while his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri suffered an unexpected Q2 elimination and will start thirteenth. Isack Hadjar was seventh, ahead of Racing Bulls drivers Arvid Lindblad and Liam Lawson, with Lawson’s position affected by the penalty. Pierre Gasly completed the top ten.
Fernando Alonso’s qualifying session ended in Q1 after another Honda engine failure. Aston Martin had appeared more competitive than usual at the high-altitude Mexican circuit, and Alonso had been considering a possible Q3 appearance. His opening run was enough for eighteenth place, leaving him facing a recovery drive in the race.
Carlos Sainz reached Q2 but recorded the slowest time in that segment and will start sixteenth. Lance Stroll was twentieth, while Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas occupied the final two positions for Cadillac.
The day also brought an unexpected development at Haas, which dismissed Esteban Ocon without providing further details. Ryo Hirakawa, described in the report as a 24 Hours of Le Mans winner that year, will make his debut from nineteenth on the grid.
Qualifying order: Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Charles Leclerc, Kimi Antonelli, Max Verstappen, Lando Norris, Isack Hadjar, Arvid Lindblad, Liam Lawson and Pierre Gasly completed the top ten. Nico Hülkenberg was eleventh, followed by Franco Colapinto, Oscar Piastri, Gabriel Bortoleto, Oliver Bearman, Carlos Sainz, Alexander Albon, Fernando Alonso, Ryo Hirakawa, Lance Stroll, Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas.
Sources: Motorpasión.