Lewis Hamilton delivered a superb lap for Ferrari on Saturday to claim his first pole position for the team at the Mexico City Grand Prix. The seven-time world champion edged out Mercedes driver George Russell by just nine-thousandths of a second during qualifying at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
Kimi Antonelli qualified in fourth place. The young Italian is well positioned to claim his first world championship on Sunday.
Hamilton expressed his delight after securing the top spot. "Thank you so much, thatós been such a long time coming," he told reporters. "That feels good. Ióm lost for words. My first pole with Ferrari. 105 poles, I like that number."
The pole is Hamilton’s first since the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2023 and Ferrari’s first since Budapest last year. It marks his second pole in Mexico, following his previous top spot there in 2016. Charles Leclerc took third place for Ferrari.
Max Verstappen finished fourth on track but received a one-place grid penalty for a clash with Liam Lawson during Friday practice. Lawson finished in eighth and also received a one-place penalty. Lando Norris qualified in sixth for McLaren. Oscar Piastri suffered an early exit in second qualifying and finished 13th after complaining of a lack of rear grip.
Antonelli holds a 123-point lead over Russell and a 124-point advantage over Hamilton. Russell and Hamilton must win the race to keep their championship hopes alive. Even if one of them wins, Antonelli will secure the title if he finishes in ninth place or higher. If neither wins, Antonelli takes the crown regardless of his finishing position. If successful on Sunday, he will become Formula One’s youngest world champion at 20 years old and the first Italian champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953.
Esteban Ocon addressed media reports regarding his sudden absence from the Haas team. Haas announced on Saturday morning that Ocon had been replaced for the remainder of the weekend by Ryo Hirakawa without providing an explanation. Hirakawa is a two-time World Endurance Champion and Le Mans winner, and is set to make his Formula One race debut.
Ocon released a statement denying reports that a disagreement with team staff turned physical. "Following the recent decision from Haas F1 Team confirming that I will not be participating in this weekend’s Mexico City Grand Prix, I wish to formally address some media reports and speculation surrounding the situation," Ocon said.
"Last night, a difference in viewpoints led to a discussion with the parties involved. Whilst I acknowledge that this took place, I categorically reject any reports or allegations suggesting that any form of physical violence was used to resolve any differences of any nature," he added.
Ocon urged the public to avoid speculation while the matter is handled. Updates will be communicated in due course.
