The Formula 1 Mexico Grand Prix qualifying session delivered a truly dramatic finale to fans. Lewis Hamilton secured the top spot on the starting grid, beating his rivals by a mere thousandth of a second. The Ferrari driver set the fastest time at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez with a 1:16.514, earning him the 105th pole of his career—his first since the summer of 2023 and his debut in Italian team colors.
Pole by Thousandths of a Second
The fate of first place was decided in a showdown with George Russell. The Mercedes representative lagged behind Hamilton by just 0.009 seconds, making the final stretch of the session one of the most intense of the season. Another driver in red, Charles Leclerc, finished third, 0.119 seconds back, ensuring both Ferrari cars locked out the front row of the grid.
Title Race and Grid Shake-ups
Max Verstappen set the fourth-fastest time, but due to a penalty, he will cede his position to Andrea Kimi Antonelli. This weekend holds special significance for the young Mercedes driver: on Sunday, a ninth-place finish is enough to secure his championship title. Consequently, the starting order for the race will differ from the pure qualifying results.
Setbacks and Deleted Lap Time
Qualifying was also marked by a setback for McLaren's Oscar Piastri, who failed to break into Q3 and ended up in 13th place. Shortly after the session ended, the stewards revised the starting lineup: Liam Lawson's time from Racing Bulls was deleted due to inefficient MGU-K power deployment at the end of his flying lap, meaning he will start the race from the back of the grid.
Sunday's Race
The main Mexico Grand Prix race will take place on Sunday, November 1, at 22:00 Kyiv time. The 0.009-second gap between Hamilton and Russell, the grid penalties, and Antonelli's title fight promise to make this race one of the highlights of the calendar.
