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Lewis Hamilton became the oldest driver to take a pole position in Formula One for 44 years as he claimed the 105th pole of his career in Mexico, and his first for Ferrari.
All eyes on Sunday will be on Kimi Antonelli, the 20-year-old Mercedes driver, who is on the verge of becoming the sport’s youngest ever world champion. Antonelli needs just two points on Sunday to be sure of claiming the title. The Italian qualified fifth and will start fourth thanks to Max Verstappen’s one-place grid penalty.
But it is a man more than double Antonelli’s age who will start the race on pole, Ferrari’s seven-time world champion pipping his former Mercedes teammate George Russell at the death at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
Hamilton, 41, becomes F1’s oldest pole sitter since American Mario Andretti at the Italian Grand Prix in 1982.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Hamilton said over his radio on his cool-down lap.
More to follow...
Certainly not a season where Hamilton has been back to his best, but he has reached levels he has struggled to find for a while. Has a good chance of finishing second in the standings, which he has not done since 2021.
And the oldest since Mario Andretti in 1982.
“That felt great, that felt good. So happy. Oh man, I am lost for words. It’s been a really tough, challenging weekend. We had the engine issue we had yesterday which meant that we were on the back foot. We’ve really done a lot of work on the set-up over the weekend.
“I think the others have a new tyre for the start... to have a pole here, I don’t even know if I’ve had pole here. It’s my first pole for Ferrari. When there’s a will there’s a way. It’s all in the mind. For sure you might feel aches and pains, mostly I don’t. But I love what I do and that love is not gone. I wake up every day and I dream about it.”
“I am [happy], it’s been a tricky few races for me. Still struggling to get on top of this car and it’s been a very difficult weekend apart from one lap in Q3. I always know it’s in there, the performance is in there but the hit rate is too low at the moment, that’s the frustration. It’s low grip, the temps were getting cooler and I think that came into our favour. I had a very hard out lap and it just gave me a bit more confidence and that gave me more grip in the tyre.”
“I just didn’t do a good job, the out laps were very difficult as well to put the tyres in the right window. In Q3 I had a clean out lap but the car felt different. I just didn’t do the job. To start third here is not too bad. I was fighting with the car quite a bit, particularly in Q3. At the end of the day it’s the same for everybody here. It’s quite fun to push the car to the limit in these conditions.”
Significant ones from Leclerc. A small one from Russell. Norris probably did distract Verstappen a bit, but I do not think he got in his way and certainly didn’t “block” him.
RUS +0.009
LEC +0.119
VER +0.178
ANT +0.193
NOR +0.310
HAD +0.386
LAW +0.515
LIN +0.603
GAS +0.639
Verstappen’s lock-up, whether induced by the presence of Norris or not, costs him a shot at pole.
It’s Hamilton, Russell and Leclerc the front three. Hamilton’s 105th pole position. A lot.
Leclerc is more than two tenths down after two sectors. A good final sector but only third.
What can Antonelli, Norris and Verstappen do? Antonelli is 0.167sec slower than Hamilton after two sectors. Norris is well down and looks to have abandoned his lap.
Verstappen was fast in the first sector and is ahead of Hamilton after two sectors...
Antonelli only fifth. Verstappen makes a mistake in the final sector after Norris got in the way...
Russell is looking good to threaten the front row here... he crosses the line and improves to first!
Hadjar only fifth. Hamilton lining up a strong final sector... and he beats Russell by 0.009sec.
But can anyone knock him off? Leclerc, Verstappen and Antonelli still going.
Leclerc overdriving here and looks a bit off...
VER +0.045
NOR +0.177
HAM +0.422
RUS +0.491
GAS +0.677
ANT +0.692
LAW +0.710
LIN +1.582
HAD (NO TIME)
0.177sec behind Leclerc. Russell nearly half a second off Leclerc. Antonelli miles away in sixth. Hadjar makes a mistake in the stadium section again and has to abandon his lap, coming into the pits...
What has Verstappen got? Second... 0.045sec off Leclerc.
Other drivers appear to be doing two prep laps. Leclerc looking faster, Hamilton made a mistake in the middle sector...
It’s a 1:17.069 for Hamilton and Leclerc beats that by 0.422sec.
We wait to see what the Mercedes, Red Bulls and Norris will do as they begin their push laps.
Who will take pole? It’s tight at the front.
VER +0.148
LEC +0.216
HAM +0.225
RUS +0.299
HAD +0.319
ANT +0.405
LIN +0.407
LAW +0.479
GAS +0.550
Piastri only improves to 13th. He is out. He is joined by Hulkenberg, Colapinto, Bortoleto, Bearman and Sainz.
“I don’t really know what happened mate. I had no rear grip,” is what Piastri says on the radio. He has not had the strongest season.
Around a quarter of a second off Verstappen. Russell goes fourth, pushing Hadjar down to fifth. It’s close in the top eight at the moment.
Gasly and Bortoleto trying to get out of the drop zone. Gasly moves into ninth, pushing Lawson down. Bortoleto stays in the drop zone. Bearman stays 15th and is out. A difficult weekend for Haas.
Piastri in 14th and in danger...
It’s an OK first sector and a decent second sector. His final sector has been good this weekend.. and again it is as he moves third, within a tenth of Verstappen. Pretty good.
He is into third, 0.172sec off Verstappen’s fastest time.
LEC +0.068
LIN +0.259
ANT +0.327
RUS +0.375
HUL +0.711
LAW +0.752
HAD +0.801
PIA +0.900
GAS +1.006
Nothing, because he comes into the pit lane because he was not improving. Seven minutes remain but he needs to get a lap together.
Verstappen moves fastest, just 0.068sec ahead of Leclerc.
Slower even than Lindblad. Russell in fourth, just behind his team-mate.
He locks up in the stadium section, though, so it won’t be a particularly quick lap. It’s a 1:18.662 which is behind the two Audis.
Hamilton does similar to Norris at the same part of the track.
Leclerc then moves fastest with a 1:16.944 which is just ahead of the two Red Bulls but also the two McLarens.
Another six drivers to be eliminated.
All these drivers are through.
HAD +0.044
LEC +0.165
PIA +0.318
RUS +0.318
BOR +0.386
NOR +0.392
HUL +0.527
ANT +0.527
VER +0.577
BEA +0.601
LAW +0.742
GAS +0.756
LIN +0.869
COL +1.176
SAI +1.180
The same old story, I am afraid. Sainz, his team-mate, makes it through.
The drivers who are out are: ALB, ALO, HIR, STR, PER, BOT
Bottas again a good chunk of time 0.8sec slower than Perez.
He improves, but stays second. Russell on a hot lap, trying to improve from ninth... he does, into fourth. The Williams cars are either side of the drop zone as it stands.
Can Rio Hirakawa make it through to Q2 on his F1 debut? No.
Hadjar improves to second... Antonelli stays ninth.
He goes fastest by 0.191sec ahead of Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc with a strong final sector.
ALB, ALO, HIR, STR, PER, BOT
Hadjar will need to go again after making a mistake in the stadium section. Antonelli had a poor middle sector because he had a moment.
Ahead of Norris by a couple of tenths. Verstappen slots into third, a couple of tenths behind Norris himself. Lawson with a strong time to move into fifth, Antonelli displaces Verstappen for third.
Perez has a big lock-up at turn one and ruins his hot lap.
Gasly, meanwhile, goes top ahead of Hamilton by 0.055sec.
10 minutes remain now.
Norris, Antonelli, Leclerc, Verstappen, Russell and Hadjar. The two Racing Bulls cars, too.
PIA +0.340
ALO +0.659
SAI +1.034
BEA +1.078
HUL +1.253
HIR +1.408
ALB +1.502
BOR +1.534
PER +1.660
STR +1.918
BOT +2.152
Hadjar does indeed have his lap time deleted. 11min 7sec remain on the clock.
He might have this lap deleted.
🟥Alonso has been told to stop the car... and that brings out the red flag.
Hamilton crossed the line in first and I think just before the red flag was thrown.
Only a few lap times at the moment but Alonso is top, more than half a second faster than the Audi of Nico Hulkenberg. His team-mate Lance Stroll has a big lock-up at turn four and has to abandon his lap.
As ever this season, six drivers will be eliminated in this session and 16 will go through to Q2.
Normally a decent and close qualifying here, so let’s hope for that.
...and also the chances of Lawson losing his seat.
“You have to separate both aspects... you had something that was very unnecessary on the track and it’s frustrating for the drivers on track and it’s frustrating for the teams. And then you have the driver decisions.”
A strange, unnecessary one, for sure.
Antonelli would go right to the top of this list and by some margin.
Very little left for Antonelli to do. Russell looking vulnerable in second, could well be overtaken and slip down a few slots if he carries on how he did in Austin last week.
Well, it will be if he takes the start. Here is where he stands in the list of all-time most experienced F1 drivers.
He has done a decent job at Cadillac this year, which is more than can be said for his team-mate, Valtteri Bottas, who has found it a little more difficult.
TGR Haas F1 Team reserve driver Ry&omacr Hirakawa will replace Esteban Ocon for the remainder of the weekend’s Mexico City Grand Prix, Saturday 31 October – Sunday 1 November.
Hirakawa (32), a two-time winner of the FIA World Endurance Championship (2022, 2023) and 24 Hours of Le Mans Winner (2022) with Toyota GAZOO Racing, participated in FP1 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on Friday 30 October – his third free practice outing of the season driving the VF-26, finishing 15th overall.
The Japanese driver will partner teammate Ollie Bearman through final practice and qualifying on Saturday and Sunday’s 71-lap grand prix – Hirakawa’s Formula 1 race debut.
No further statements will be made at this time.
It is not unfair to say that the relationship between Haas and Ocon has been rocky at points this season. He was already confirmed as being replaced by Rafael Camara for 2027. Hirakawa, however, already did FP1 yesterday so, if they wanted Ocon out immediately, they had a ready-made stand-in. I would expect there is a decent chance that Camara will step into this seat in the final few races, though.
Welcome to our live coverage for qualifying for the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix from the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, obviously. The big story this weekend is that Jimi Antonelli is almost certain to become the youngest world champion in Formula One history. To guarantee it he needs just two points, but if George Russell or Lewis Hamilton fail to win here then the title is his whatever he does. It has been a superb, strong and consistent season from the man who began the year as a teenager. He has not quite been faultless, but he has not been far away.
There are other stories floating around the paddock, too. Notably, Esteban Ocon has been dropped by Haas today for final practice, qualifying and the race, to be replaced by reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa for the weekend. Whether Ocon will continue in any other races has yet to be confirmed but you have to say that it seems extremely unlikely. More on that later.
Another line is the ongoing tension between Liam Lawson and Max Verstappen after their crash in FP2 yesterday. It was certainly a strange one in which neither driver backed down, which resulted in contact, debris being strewn across the track and a red flag. Both drivers seemed unrepentant, though admitted it was clumsy. Lawson and Verstappen each receive a one-place grid penalty for the incident, which feels about right given how silly and unnecessary it all was.
But what about the competitive order on track? Since the summer break, and a little before in fairness, things have been unpredictable at the top. Mercedes have still, on average, been the best team but Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren have all had their moments.
What happened in final practice? It was Lando Norris who topped the timesheets by just 0.001sec ahead of Mercedes’ Antonelli. Charles Leclerc was a further tenth or so back for Ferrari followed by Oscar Piastri in the other McLaren, who was 0.195sec off his team-mate’s pace. Then came Verstappen, Hamilton, Russell, Isack Hadjar, Lawson and Arvid Lindblad. All drivers were within 0.6sec off Norris, which promises a close qualifying session. Let’s hope we get it.
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