A record-breaking pole and a first at the same time as Lewis Hamilton went quickest in qualifying for the first time in Ferrari red, while teammate Charles Leclerc’s wait continues despite looking a shoo-in.

Here is PlanetF1.com’s full list of winners and losers from the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix qualifying.

Winners and losers from the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix qualifying

Winner: Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton might reside as F1’s record pole position holder, but his previously nigh-on impeccable execution over one lap has deserted him more regularly in recent years, a contributing factor, along with the machinery at his disposal not being up to scratch, behind him heading into this round without a single Grand Prix pole since July 2023.

That was threatening to be the case again on a weekend when Ferrari were shaping up to have the class-leading package around the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, with Charles Leclerc topping the timesheets in the opening two practice sessions on Friday.

Despite a power unit issue in FP2 costing him valuable track time, Hamilton was on the pace come qualifying and led Q1, but a lock-up on his initial lap in Q2 preceded a wide moment through the esses in Q3 that put him four tenths down on Leclerc’s time.

However, the seven-time F1 champion rolled back the years and delivered when it mattered to pip his ex-Mercedes teammate George Russell by a mere 0.009 seconds.

The mistake in Q2 might still come back to bite him, given that he has now no new softs to begin the race on, but at a time when Leclerc was beginning to wrestle back the intra-team momentum at Ferrari, Hamilton has laid down a massive statement.

Loser: Charles Leclerc

Leclerc seemed destined to bring an end to his own protracted 26-round barren run without taking top spot in qualifying when he wrestled his Ferrari to provisional pole.

However, the Monegasque was made to rue a snap at Turn 10 on his last attempt as he ended up 0.143s short, despite recovering to clock the quickest time in the last sector.

Leclerc’s slip-up enabled both Hamilton and Russell to demote him to the second row. With an 800-metre-plus run down to Turn 1, Leclerc will take solace in the knowledge that the win is still attainable from third, but he will be aware that it should have been his scarlet red Ferrari parked at the front when he settles in behind Hamilton later on.

Winner: George Russell

Russell expressed in the build-up to the weekend that his impending championship loss to Kimi Antonelli will not define him. But while the remaining rounds will have no bearing on which Mercedes driver is going to get their hands on the ultimate prize, it is vital that Russell proves he can still live with his ever-improving teammate’s level.

On the evidence of Mexico, Russell has shown he has the mental resilience and speed to do so. While it has tended to be Antonelli who has picked up the baton on the rare occasions where Mercedes have not been at the races in 2026, this time around Russell has emerged as the Silver Arrows’ leading hope on a low-grip track where the German marque hasn’t looked to possess quite the same outright pace as its main competitors.

And while that saw Antonelli struggle to fifth on the weekend where he can clinch the crown, Russell produced a stunning lap to split the Ferrari duo and claim a front-row start, leaving the Briton well-placed to mount a bid to win the race as he strives to repeat what Nico Rosberg did in 2015 and end a title-losing season with a resurgence.

More from the Mexico City GP

Loser: Oscar Piastri

Oscar Piastri was bewildered as a sudden loss of grip in Q2 unravelled what had been shaping up to be an improved run in Mexico relative to his previous visits to the venue.

The Australian had outpaced McLaren stablemate Lando Norris in the first segment, but having made an error on his opening lap on new tyres in the second stage, Piastri couldn’t produce the time he needed to get into the top 10, dropping out in 13th place, having been almost a second slower than his teammate, who topped the session.

It has proved to be the latest setback in a disappointing campaign for Piastri, one which is cementing Norris’ status as the top dog at McLaren with each passing round.

Loser: Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso looked an assured bet to get Aston Martin into Q2 when a suspected water pressure problem triggered a premature end to his involvement in proceedings.

Alonso had not placed lower than 14th in practice, and he was sat in third place in Q1, behind a Ferrari and a McLaren, when he was instructed to bring his AMR26 to a stop.

Alonso threw his hands up in the air as he parked up in the stadium section, with good reason, too, given the Silverstone-based squad has been more competitive than usual. The two-time champion was, as ever, also on form, with his sole timed lap still good enough to improve his imperious head-to-head record against teammate Lance Stroll.

That would have been little consolation to an enraged Alonso, though, the Spaniard all too aware that another technical gremlin has scuppered a promising opportunity. With Honda’s current iteration engine still vastly underpowered, Alonso, who will line up down in 17th place at best, will have his work cut out to make progress in the 71-lap race, let alone salvage points.