Lewis Hamilton secured a landmark first pole position with Ferrari for the 2026 FIA Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix, beating Mercedes’ George Russell by just 0.009s in a thrilling grid shootout at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Charles Leclerc completed the top three for Ferrari, while Max Verstappen qualified fourth but will drop behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli as the Red Bull driver is set to take a one-place grid penalty for the race.
Hamilton’s 1:16.514s effort was enough to deliver his first pole position since 2023 and his first since joining Ferrari. The seven-time World Champion produced a superb final lap to deny Russell, who had briefly moved to the top of the timesheets, with Leclerc just 0.119s further back.
The opening phase of qualifying began with several teams keen to make an early impression following a disrupted final practice session. Sergio Pérez and Gabriel Bortoleto were among the first drivers to leave the pit lane, having experienced power unit problems earlier in the day, while Nico Hülkenberg and the two Haas drivers also headed out immediately.
Fernando Alonso initially set the pace with a 1:18.908s, moving ahead of the Audi pair, before Carlos Sainz climbed to second. However, the session was interrupted when Alonso was instructed to stop his Aston Martin on track. The team subsequently confirmed a suspected water-pressure issue linked to the Energy Recovery System, prompting Race Control to deploy the red flags.
Hamilton had just completed his opening effort when the interruption was called, setting a 1:18.249s to move ahead of Oscar Piastri, who had posted a 1:18.589s. With 11 minutes remaining, the session resumed, leaving the field to complete its remaining runs.
Pierre Gasly initially moved to the top with a 1:18.194s, before Hamilton returned to the track and delivered a considerably quicker 1:17.341s. Isack Hadjar also made progress, moving into second place, making up for running wide at Turn 12 on his first lap and then locking up in Turn 13 on the following one.
Russell moved into fourth, while Antonelli struggled to put together a clean lap and remained ninth. Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad also made it through the early stages, although the latter reported smoke in his cockpit during his run.
There was disappointment for Williams, with Albon unable to find the improvement needed to progress. Sainz also failed to make the cut, while Hirakawa ended the session 19th. Alonso, whose earlier stoppage had brought Q1 to a halt, was classified 18th, with Stroll, Pérez and Valtteri Bottas also eliminated.
Q2 began with Mercedes sending both cars out early, followed by Audi and McLaren. Norris immediately started a flying lap, while the Mercedes drivers initially completed preparation laps. Piastri set a 1:17.776s before Leclerc produced a 1:16.944s to take provisional first place.
Verstappen responded with a 1:16.876s, narrowly edging the Ferrari driver by 0.068s. Lindblad also impressed, initially coming within two-tenths of Leclerc’s benchmark, underlining the Racing Bulls driver’s strong pace throughout qualifying.
Norris subsequently moved into third, just 0.172s behind Verstappen, while Hamilton found further time on his next attempt to move into third, only 0.077s off the Red Bull driver’s pace. Hadjar also improved to fourth, while Antonelli remained seventh after completing his run on used soft tyres.
The battle to reach the final phase remained particularly close, with Lawson producing a late improvement to move into ninth. That effort came at the expense of Hülkenberg, who dropped out alongside Colapinto, Piastri, Bortoleto, Bearman and Sainz.
Norris finished the session at the top of the timesheets, adding to the disappointment for McLaren team-mate Piastri, who reported a lack of rear grip after failing to make the top 10. All four Red Bull Ford Powertrains-powered cars progressed, with Verstappen, Hadjar and Lawson joined by Lindblad in the final shootout.
The opening runs in Q3 saw Hamilton and Leclerc set the pace. Leclerc established the benchmark with a 1:16.647s, while Hamilton finished 0.422s behind after losing time in the middle sector.
Verstappen looked capable of challenging for the top spot, setting purple times in the first and third sectors, but a loss of time through the middle section left him 0.045s behind Leclerc. Hadjar, meanwhile, compromised his opening effort with a lock-up at Turn 13, leaving him further down the order.
The final runs produced a dramatic conclusion. Russell improved to 1:16.523s to take provisional pole, but Hamilton immediately found another 0.009s to take the top spot with a 1:16.514s. The Ferrari driver had delivered when it mattered most, securing his first pole position for the Scuderia.
Leclerc also improved to consolidate third, despite losing time in the middle sector, while Antonelli could manage only fifth. Verstappen, meanwhile, abandoned his final attempt after locking up at Turn 13 and encountering Norris’ McLaren, leaving him fourth.
Hadjar finished seventh, with Lawson eighth and Lindblad ninth, completing a strong qualifying performance for Racing Bulls. Gasly secured the final place in the top 10 for Alpine.
2026 FIA Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix – Qualifying
1 Lewis Hamilton Ferrari 1:16.514 – –
2 George Russell Mercedes 1:16.523 0.009 0.012
3 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:16.633 0.119 0.156
4 Max Verstappen Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 1:16.692 0.178 0.233
5 Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:16.707 0.193 0.252
6 Lando Norris McLaren/Mercedes 1:16.824 0.310 0.405
7 Isack Hadjar Red Bull/Red Bull Ford 1:16.900 0.386 0.504
8 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 1:17.029 0.515 0.673
9 Arvid Lindblad Racing Bulls/Red Bull Ford 1:17.117 0.603 0.788
10 Pierre Gasly Alpine/Mercedes 1:17.153 0.639 0.835
11 Nico Hülkenberg Audi 1:17.306 0.792 1.035
12 Franco Colapinto Alpine/Mercedes 1:17.640 1.126 1.472
13 Oscar Piastri McLaren/Mercedes 1:17.646 1.132 1.479
14 Gabriel Bortoleto Audi 1:17.680 1.166 1.524
15 Oliver Bearman Haas/Ferrari 1:18.083 1.569 2.051
16 Carlos Sainz Williams/Mercedes 1:18.885 2.371 3.099
17 Alexander Albon Williams/Mercedes 1:18.630 2.116 2.766
18 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin/Honda 1:18.908 2.394 3.129
19 Ryō Hirakawa Haas/Ferrari 1:18.958 2.444 3.194
20 Lance Stroll Aston Martin/Honda 1:19.072 2.558 3.343
21 Sergio Pérez Cadillac/Ferrari 1:19.105 2.591 3.386
22 Valtteri Bottas Cadillac/Ferrari 1:19.852 3.338 4.363
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