Lewis Hamilton finally secured his maiden pole position for Ferrari at the Mexico City Grand Prix, edging Mercedes' George Russell. Hamilton pipped Russell by just 0.009 seconds, setting up a front-row start for the two drivers looking to keep Antonelli from clinching the title.
Antonelli qualified fifth but will line up fourth on the grid behind Charles Leclerc after Max Verstappen received a one-place penalty. It was an emotional milestone for Hamilton at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez as he finally secured his first Grand Prix pole position for Ferrari in his second season with the team. The 41-year-old's 105th career pole was also his first since 2023.
"Oh man, I'm lost for words," Hamilton said. "It's been a really challenging weekend, we had the engine issue yesterday, which meant we were on the back foot and didn't do a long run. The 41-year-old is the oldest driver to secure a pole since Mario Andretti for Ferrari at the 1982 Italian Grand Prix.
"We've done a really good job on the setup and to have pole here, wow, it feels special. It's my first pole for Ferrari, and 105th, I like that number,” he added. "To have your first Ferrari pole, it takes me back to watching Michael [Schumacher] get all those poles when he was at Ferrari and all those wins.”
The championship is firmly in Antonelli's hands, with the 20-year-old holding a 123-point lead over Russell and a 124-point advantage over Hamilton. Both drivers are looking to delay his title celebrations. Antonelli will be crowned champion if he extends his lead to 100 points after the Mexican GP.
Russell must win and hope Antonelli finishes outside the top nine to keep the title race alive. Hamilton, meanwhile, needs a victory and Antonelli to finish outside the points. Anything short of a win for either driver would hand Antonelli the title, even if the Italian fails to finish the race.
"I struggled to get a good feeling from the tyres in Q3. I just didn't have the most confidence. I was a bit tense, I am not going to lie," Antonelli said. "It was a poor lap, too many mistakes."It has not been the easiest weekend. There is talk of what is there and I am not as relaxed."
The reigning F1 champion and last year's winner in Mexico Lando Norris qualified sixth and Red Bull's Isack Hadjar finished seventh. Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson qualified eighth fastest but will drop one place on the grid following his clash with Verstappen during Friday's practice session.
Also Read:
The penalty promotes teammate Arvid Lindblad to eighth, with Lawson starting ninth and Alpine's Pierre Gasly completing the top 10.
Lawson said he had apologised to Verstappen ahead of qualifying. "I went to see Max this morning to apologise because what happened doesn't need to happen and I don't want it to happen in future," he said.
The top 10 were separated by just seven-tenths of a second.
