Lewis Hamilton delivered Ferrari's first pole of the 2026 F1 season by edging out George Russell by just 0.009 seconds in a dramatic qualifying shootout for the Mexico Grand Prix. Russell had briefly taken provisional pole, but Hamilton's faster first sector secured him the top spot. Charles Leclerc finished third, 0.119 seconds behind his teammate, while Max Verstappen will start from fifth after a grid penalty.
The top five was covered by only two-tenths of a second, highlighting the tight competition. Kimi Antonelli started sixth, while Lando Norris failed to capitalize on McLaren's strong pace, ending up seventh after struggling with grip. Isack Hadjar took seventh for Red Bull despite going off at Turn 13, a recurring issue for the team.
Liam Lawson started eighth but dropped to ninth due to a practice incident with Verstappen, promoting Arvid Lindblad to eighth. Pierre Gasly rounded out the top ten. In Q2, Oscar Piastri struggled with rear grip, losing nearly half a second in the Esses and finishing 13th.
Oliver Bearman was eliminated in 15th after a track limits violation. Fernando Alonso's race ended early due to a power unit failure, causing a red flag in Q1. Esteban Ocon was replaced by Ryo Hirakawa, who made his debut, while Lance Stroll, Sergio Perez, and Valtteri Bottas filled the back of the grid.
Source: Autosport F1 News · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing