Lewis Hamilton put Ferrari on pole position for the Mexican Grand Prix. George Russell will start alongside him on the front row, while Charles Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli occupy the second row, with Antonelli starting fourth.
The qualifying result keeps both Hamilton and Russell ahead of Antonelli, the championship leader. Verstappen had qualified fourth but was moved down one place after receiving a penalty linked to his incident with Lawson during Friday’s second practice session.
Antonelli’s lead is 123 points over his Mercedes teammate Russell with five races remaining. Hamilton is 124 points behind the Italian, leaving both British drivers as the only remaining challengers for the title.
Antonelli will clinch the championship if he finishes ninth or higher, or if he comes tenth without Russell winning. He can also secure the title without scoring, provided neither Russell nor Hamilton wins. Hamilton changed the engine in his Ferrari SF-26, but avoided a penalty because the power unit had already been used previously.
After recovering from influenza, Antonelli set the second-fastest time in the final practice session, just one thousandth of a second behind Norris. The session offered few clear indications of qualifying form, with several drivers taking turns at the top before the switch from medium to soft tyres.
Haas also confirmed that Esteban Ocon would not take part in the race, without giving a reason beyond stating that the French driver had no health problems. He will be replaced by reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa, who had participated in FP1 and recorded the 15th-fastest time. Hirakawa will make his Formula 1 race debut from 19th on the grid.
Sources: ANSA Sport.