Hamilton Secures First Ferrari Pole as Antonelli Struggles in Mexico GP Qualifying

WHO:

The Race - Lewis Hamilton, 41, took pole for Ferrari; George Russell qualified second for Mercedes, Charles Leclerc third for Ferrari, Max Verstappen fourth for Red Bull, and championship leader Kimi Antonelli fifth for Mercedes.

The Race - Lando Norris qualified sixth for McLaren, followed by Isack Hadjar, Liam Lawson, Arvid Lindblad, and Pierre Gasly.

The Race - Oscar Piastri qualified 13th; Fernando Alonso 18th; Ryo Hirakawa 19th; Lance Stroll 20th; Sergio Perez 21st; and Valtteri Bottas 22nd.

Motorsport.com - Antonelli said he was still recovering from illness and felt tired and tense amid repeated questions about the championship.

The Race - Hamilton called his pole “such a long time coming”; Leclerc described his Q3 lap as “very shit” over team radio and later said he was angry with himself.

WHAT:

The Race - George Russell said he could not explain the pace of his final Q3 lap, which put him 0.009 seconds behind Hamilton; he said the extra fuel for a planned second preparation lap likely cost more than that margin.

The Race - Arvid Lindblad said Racing Bulls had a car capable of racing with the top teams and called his own performance “not good enough.”

The Race - Ollie Bearman qualified 15th after a track-limits violation erased his best Q2 lap at Turn 12; Ryo Hirakawa qualified 19th, with traffic from a Williams affecting his final Q1 lap.

The Race - Sergio Perez beat Cadillac teammate Valtteri Bottas in qualifying by more than seven-tenths of a second.

Motorsport.com - The FIA disqualified Liam Lawson from qualifying after his MGU-K power fell from 350kW to zero instead of ramping down at the permitted rate. The FIA said Racing Bulls gained no sporting advantage, but technical non-compliance still required disqualification; the team had self-reported the breach. Racing Bulls retained a 33-point lead in the constructors’ standings.

The Race - Hamilton secured his first Ferrari grand prix pole and Ferrari’s first pole of the 2026 season, recording 1m16.514s. Russell was 0.009 seconds behind, Leclerc 0.119 seconds behind, Verstappen 0.178 seconds behind, and Antonelli 0.193 seconds behind.

The Race - Hamilton became Formula 1’s oldest polesitter since 42-year-old Mario Andretti in 1982 and extended his career record to 105 poles.

The Race - Verstappen’s one-place penalty for a Friday incident with Lawson means he starts fifth; Lawson’s MGU-K infringement sends him to the back of the grid.

The Race - Norris aborted his final Q3 lap and qualified sixth. Piastri was eliminated in Q2 in 13th, 0.340 seconds behind the 10th-place time.

The Race - Alonso stopped in Q1 with a suspected water-pressure issue related to the ERS and qualified 18th; Stroll qualified 20th.

The Race - FP3 times were led by Norris in 1m17.600s, with Antonelli 0.001 seconds back and Leclerc 0.117 seconds back.

WHERE:

The Race - Qualifying and final practice took place at the Mexican Grand Prix in Mexico City.

WHY:

The Race - Leclerc said he struggled to reproduce the same conditions on his preparation laps; he said he was angry with himself after failing to capitalize on a clean final Q3 out-lap.

The Race - Verstappen said traffic from Lando Norris disrupted his pole attempt; brake problems at Turn 13 also caused a lock-up that ruined his lap.

The Race - Hamilton said tyre preparation was crucial: he got the tyres into the right operating window on his final out-lap. Ferrari’s SF-26 can be difficult to warm quickly for qualifying while balancing front- and rear-tyre temperatures.

The Race - Leclerc said he lost time after his tyres appeared to overheat and lose traction; he finished third.

The Race - Antonelli said illness, low energy, tension, and mistakes contributed to his qualifying result. He reported a high fever and stomach problems earlier in the weekend.

HOW:

The Race - Hamilton used aggressive weaving and acceleration on the straights during his second preparation lap, while being more cautious in the stadium section; he said he used “a couple more tools” he had not used “for like 13 years.”

Motorsport.com - Russell abandoned preparation laps for his final Q3 attempt and nearly took pole; he said extra fuel for a planned second preparation lap may have cost him.

The Race - Antonelli said he saved a set of new tyres and planned to take melatonin in hopes of sleeping 10 hours.

Lewis Hamilton took pole for Ferrari at the Mexican Grand Prix, narrowly beating George Russell. Russell qualified second, with Charles Leclerc third and championship leader Kimi Antonelli fifth. Max Verstappen’s penalty drops him to fifth, while Liam Lawson’s technical breach sends him last.