Lewis Hamilton secured his first pole position for Ferrari, more than three years after his last. His previous first starting grid place was at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix, and this is his 105th career pole position. Hamilton beat George Russell by just 0.009 seconds.
Hamilton said that pole position on his 43rd start for Ferrari was 'one of the greatest feelings'. He recalled that he first qualified fastest for Ferrari at the sprint pole position at last year's Chinese Grand Prix, in his second race for the team. He added that he now has pole positions with three different teams.
However, the focus is on Kimi Antonelli, who is fighting to become the youngest world champion in Formula 1. The 20-year-old Italian is fourth on the grid for the Mexico City Grand Prix, having finished 0.184 seconds behind Russell in qualifying to be fifth fastest. A one-place penalty for Max Verstappen puts him on the second row alongside Charles Leclerc.
Hamilton and Russell are the only drivers who can mathematically prevent Antonelli from securing the title on Sunday. Antonelli cannot become champion at the end of the race only if Hamilton or Russell wins. He must finish ninth if Russell wins, or tenth if Hamilton wins.
Hamilton said the idea was not on his mind. Russell, meanwhile, stated that it is clearly inevitable that Antonelli will win the title and that he will most likely secure it this weekend. Antonelli admitted that the high stakes of the weekend were on his mind and had affected his driving, and said he feels more tense than usual.
At Ferrari, Hamilton leads team-mate Leclerc by eight points in the championship. The head-to-head qualifying record is now 12-10, and Leclerc is ahead of Hamilton in average pace by just 0.037 seconds. Last year, the difference in average pace between Leclerc and Hamilton was 0.15 seconds. Hamilton enters the race with less knowledge than his rivals because a failure in the second practice session prevented him from completing a race simulation.
