- Hamilton Edges Russell by 0.009 Seconds to Secure Mexico Pole
Lewis Hamilton produced a dramatic final lap to claim his first Grand Prix pole position for Ferrari, narrowly beating Mercedes driver George Russell in qualifying for the Mexico City Grand Prix.
The seven-time world champion recorded a time of one minute, 16.514 seconds during the closing moments of the third qualifying session, finishing only 0.009 seconds ahead of his former Mercedes teammate.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc qualified third, 0.119 seconds behind Hamilton, while Red Bull’s Max Verstappen secured fourth place before the application of a one-position grid penalty.
The result extended Hamilton’s Formula One record to 105 pole positions and gave him his first Grand Prix pole since the Hungarian Grand Prix in July 2023. He had previously secured two Sprint pole positions since joining Ferrari at the beginning of the 2025 season, but had not started a full Grand Prix from the front row’s leading position.
Hamilton’s achievement was particularly significant because he had struggled during parts of the weekend. A technical problem disrupted his second practice session and cost him valuable track time, while Leclerc appeared to hold the advantage within the Ferrari garage after leading both Friday practice sessions.
Hamilton was also only sixth fastest in final practice, raising questions about whether he possessed the pace required to challenge for pole position.
Those concerns disappeared in qualifying.
Hamilton topped the opening qualifying session before Verstappen moved ahead of the Ferraris during the second phase. Lando Norris finished fastest in Q2 after completing a late run on fresh tyres, ensuring there was considerable uncertainty heading into the decisive final session.
Leclerc initially appeared best placed to secure the pole. He led Verstappen after the first Q3 attempts, while an error in the middle sector left Hamilton about four-tenths of a second behind in fourth place.
Russell then unexpectedly moved into provisional pole position during the final runs. Hamilton responded immediately, producing a controlled lap that placed him ahead of the Mercedes driver by nine-thousandths of a second.
Neither Leclerc nor Verstappen could answer.
Leclerc failed to combine his strongest sectors on his final attempt and remained more than a tenth behind his teammate. Verstappen was faster than Hamilton through the opening two sectors but locked up in the slow final section after encountering Norris ahead of him.
The result made Hamilton Formula One’s oldest pole sitter in Formula One since 1982. The 41-year-old celebrated with Ferrari’s mechanics after stepping out of the car, describing the achievement as the result of a long and difficult wait.
“That felt great. I’m so happy. I’m lost for words,” Hamilton said, reflecting on what he described as a challenging weekend.
He added that achieving his 105th pole position in Mexico made the moment particularly special.
Hamilton will be joined on the front row by Russell, creating an intriguing contest between the Ferrari driver and the team he represented for 12 seasons.
Ferrari will also have Leclerc starting directly behind them in third, giving the Italian team a strong strategic position. Verstappen’s penalty moves championship leader Kimi Antonelli into fourth place, despite the Mercedes driver qualifying fifth.
Antonelli enters the race with an opportunity to become the youngest world champion in Formula One history. The 20-year-old will secure the championship by finishing ninth or higher, provided Hamilton or Russell wins the race. If neither British driver wins, Antonelli will claim the title regardless of his finishing position.
The Italian acknowledged feeling tense after qualifying and said he had struggled to develop confidence in his tyres during Q3. He has also been recovering from a viral illness and admitted that he was not yet operating at full strength.
Norris qualified sixth for McLaren, but teammate Oscar Piastri endured a difficult session and was eliminated in Q2. Piastri will start 13th, leaving McLaren with significant work to do during the race.
Isack Hadjar secured seventh for Red Bull, while Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson initially qualified eighth. Lawson was subsequently disqualified after his car was found to have breached the minimum power requirement relating to its MGU-K system.
The disqualification moved Arvid Lindblad to eighth, Pierre Gasly to ninth and Nico Hulkenberg into the final top-10 grid position.
Fernando Alonso suffered an early exit after a water-pressure problem forced him to stop on the circuit during Q1. The incident triggered a brief red flag and left the Aston Martin driver outside the leading positions.
Hamilton’s pole gives Ferrari an important opportunity to convert its qualifying pace into a race victory. It also provides another significant moment in his developing relationship with the Italian manufacturer after a challenging transition from Mercedes.
With only 0.009 seconds separating Hamilton and Russell, two Ferraris inside the leading three and Antonelli potentially one race away from history, the Mexico City Grand Prix is positioned to deliver a closely fought contest with major championship implications.
