Lewis Hamilton claims first Ferrari pole in Mexico City

Lewis Hamilton claims first Ferrari pole in Mexico City Jump to content

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Lewis Hamilton becomes oldest driver to claim pole position in 44 years

Last updated

01 November 2026 12:00am GMT

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!errari's Lewis Hamilton celebrates after qualifying in pole position

*Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton celebrates after qualifying in pole position Credit: Reuters/Raquel Cunha*

Tom Cary Senior Sports Correspondent. Luke Slater live updates

Last updated

01 November 2026 12:00am GMT

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Timing is everything in Formula One, and as the sport prepares to crown its youngest ever world champion on Sunday, it was one of the golden oldies who stepped up and reminded us he was not finished just yet. Lewis Hamilton, the most successful driver in Formula One history, became the oldest driver to take a pole position for 44 years as he rolled back the years to claim the 105th pole of his career in Mexico City, and his first grand prix pole for Ferrari.

All eyes on Sunday, of course, will be on Kimi Antonelli, the 20-year-old Mercedes driver, who is on the verge of becoming the sport’s youngest ever champion. The Italian needs just two points – ninth place – to be sure of claiming the title. Antonelli qualified fifth and will start fourth thanks to Max Verstappen’s one-place grid penalty for clashing with Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson in practice. And he will surely get the job done on Mexico’s Day of the Dead.

!Pole position qualifier Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Scuderia Ferrari celebrates on arrival in parc ferme during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Mexico at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on October 31, 2026 in Mexico City, Mexic

*Hamilton took his first grand prix pole for Ferrari in his second season for the team Credit: Sutton Images/Manuel Eletto*

Saturday undoubtedly belonged to the man Antonelli’s replaced at Mercedes, a man more than double the Italian’s age, a man who showed once again that he is not ready yet for his pipe and slippers. Hamilton’s final lap of 1min 16.514sec at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez pipped the best effort of his former Mercedes team-mate, George Russell, by nine thousandths of a second.

As Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said, that probably equates to “less than 50cm” on a 4.3km track. With his first Grand Prix pole since Hungary 2023 (the seven-time world champion has twice claimed sprint race poles since his move from Mercedes to Ferrari), Hamilton, 41, becomes F1’s oldest pole sitter since American Mario Andretti at the Italian Grand Prix in 1982.

He actually sounded rather choked up on his cool down lap as he remarked that it had been “a long time coming”.

“That felt great, that felt good,” Hamilton said after making it back to the pits. “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.”

The big question here was whether Ferrari could finally deliver on the pace they had shown over the past few races. It seemed as though they could, although it was Hamilton’s team-mate Charles Leclerc who seemed more likely to deliver it. Hamilton topped a messy Q1 but only after Fernando Alonso was ordered to stop his Aston Martin near the pit entry, forcing many of the big dogs to abandon their push laps.

Ferrari’s main threats appeared to be from the McLaren of Lando Norris and the Red Bull of Max Verstappen. It was Norris who topped Q2, showing excellent form once again as his Australian team-mate Oscar Piastri struggled. Piastri could only take 13th place on the grid, 0.9sec slower than Norris in Q2, and complaining of a lack of rear grip. But lots of his rivals were also finding it difficult, in particular Mexico’s stadium section, with a succession of drivers, among them the Red Bulls of Verstappen and Isack Hadjar, locking up and going far too deep at turn 13.

> A dramatic moment for Hadjar 💨
>
> The Red Bull driver locks up into Turn 13 and runs wide! 😬
>
> \#F1 #MexicoGP https://t.co/11DMNu6ct9
>
> — Formula 1 (@F1) October 31, 2026

Leclerc was quickest with his first run in Q3, posting a 1min 16.6sec. But the Monegasque was knocked off top spot on the second runs, with first Russell and then Hamilton topping the timesheets. Russell will be frustrated not to have taken pole, but this was nevertheless an encouraging session for him, out-qualifying Antonelli for the first time in four races.

The Italian admitted he was feeling the pressure somewhat. “I struggled to get a good feeling with the tyres in Q3, I didn’t have the most confidence. I was a bit tense, I’m not going to lie. But overall, still P4 and a lot to play for tomorrow.

“It hasn’t been the easiest weekend to be fair, I’m definitely still not feeling 100 per cent. The thought of what could happen is there, and I’m not feeling as calm as usual.”

To be honest, he may not even need to finish Sunday’s race, if Hamilton or Russell fail to win. But the only two men who can still beat him to the crown start on the front row, and they are vying for second spot in the drivers’ championship, which is also quite fun.

!Hamilton celebrates with his Ferrari team

*Hamilton’s elation was clear to see after qualifying Credit: Getty Images/Bryn Lennon*

“To have a pole here, I don’t even know if I’ve had pole here,” Hamilton said, his pole in Mexico for Mercedes back in 2017 clearly slipping his mind.

“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.”

One way or another, it promises to be an historic day in Formula One history - with the sport’s most successful driver paving the way for a new generational talent.

* Latest updates

Tom Cary Senior Sports Correspondent. Luke Slater live updates

10:35PM

Hamilton celebrates

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> Lewis celebrates with Angela! 🫶🤩
>
> \#F1 #MexicoGP https://t.co/4uCYkDv19V
>
> — Formula 1 (@F1) October 31, 2026

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.

10:26PM

Oldest polesitters in F1

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10:20PM

Hamilton the fifth oldest polesitter in F1

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And the oldest since Mario Andretti in 1982.

10:18PM

Hamilton on a record-extending pole

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> “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.”

10:17PM

Russell on a strong front row

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> “I am \[happy], it’s been a tricky few races for m