Hamilton’s Mexico pole throws Antonelli a curveball in the championship fight

Hamilton takes Ferrari pole

Hamilton set a time of 1 minute 16.514 seconds, earning the 105th pole of his career and his first for Ferrari at a regular grand prix. His previous regular-race pole came at the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix, when he was driving for Mercedes.

At 41, Hamilton became the oldest pole-sitter since Mario Andretti, who was 42 when he took pole at Monza in 1982. Hamilton said securing his first Ferrari pole was “very, very special,” recalling watching Michael Schumacher achieve pole positions and wins with the team.

Antonelli starts fourth

Antonelli qualified fourth, behind Russell and the two Ferrari drivers. The 20-year-old is chasing a title that would make him Formula One’s youngest champion. Russell, described as Antonelli’s closest rival, is 123 points behind his teammate, with only 100 points available after the Mexico weekend. Russell briefly held provisional pole before Hamilton went faster.

Norris sixth, Hadjar disqualified

Leclerc finished third, 0.119 seconds off Hamilton’s pace. Norris, the reigning champion and last year’s Mexico winner, qualified sixth, followed by Hadjar in seventh.

Other qualifying incidents

Ryo Hirakawa qualified 19th for Haas ahead of his Formula One race debut at age 32. He is replacing Esteban Ocon, whom the team dropped for undisclosed reasons unrelated to illness.