Lewis Hamilton claimed pole position for the Mexico Grand Prix at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, giving Ferrari its first qualifying top spot with the British driver. It was Hamilton’s first pole since 2023 and the 105th of his Formula 1 career, decided by a margin of just nine thousandths of a second.
Kimi Antonelli will start fourth and has a strong chance of securing the world championship in Mexico. The Mercedes driver needs to finish in the top nine, a result he has achieved at every Grand Prix in which he has avoided one of the three reliability problems that have affected his season. If he does not clinch the title in Mexico, the championship could be decided in Brazil next week.
Antonelli has won nine races this season, including the victory at the previous round, and leads his Mercedes teammate George Russell by 123 points. The Italian has also outperformed Russell in qualifying, winning their head-to-head comparison 12-7. Russell has three victories, although he has experienced more reliability problems than Antonelli.
Max Verstappen will start behind Antonelli after receiving a one-place grid penalty following an incident with Liam Lawson during practice. Fernando Alonso will begin the race from 18th place, while Carlos Sainz will start 16th.
The gap between Antonelli and the rest of the field has shaped the championship. Mercedes’ two drivers are separated from their closest rivals by more than 100 points, while only nine points divide second-placed Russell from Charles Leclerc in fifth. A ninth victory for Antonelli would make him the youngest champion in Formula 1 history, surpassing Sebastian Vettel’s record by more than three years.
Sources: El País Deportes.