Lewis Hamilton claims first Ferrari pole in Mexico; Antonelli to start 4th
- 7-time world champion edges George Russell by 0.009 seconds; championship leader Kimi Antonelli moves up grid following Max Verstappen's penalty
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- 7-time world champion edges George Russell by 0.009 seconds; championship leader Kimi Antonelli moves up grid following Max Verstappen's penalty
By Halis Sunnetci
ISTANBUL (AA) - Lewis Hamilton claimed his first pole position for Ferrari and the 105th of his Formula 1 career on Saturday, beating Mercedes' George Russell by 0.009 seconds in qualifying for the Mexico City Grand Prix.
The seven-time world champion produced a lap of 1 minute, 16.514 seconds in the final qualifying session at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, securing his first pole since the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix.
"Thank you so much, it has been such a long time coming," Hamilton told his team on the radio after crossing the line.
Russell qualified second, ahead of Hamilton's Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc. Red Bull's Max Verstappen finished fourth, followed by championship leader Kimi Antonelli and McLaren's Lando Norris.
Verstappen and Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson received one-place grid penalties following their collision during Friday's second practice session. Verstappen will drop from fourth to fifth, promoting Antonelli to fourth, while Lawson will fall from eighth to ninth.
Hamilton recovered from a difficult Friday, when teammate Leclerc topped both practice sessions while a power-unit problem disrupted the seven-time world champion's running in FP2.
Norris, meanwhile, had led Saturday's final practice by 0.001 seconds ahead of Antonelli but could only manage sixth in qualifying.
- Antonelli's championship situation
Antonelli heads into Sunday's race with a 123-point advantage over Mercedes teammate Russell and a 124-point lead over Hamilton in the drivers' championship.
The 20-year-old Italian needs a ninth-place finish or better to secure his first Formula 1 world championship, regardless of his rivals' results.
Antonelli could also clinch the title without scoring points if neither Russell nor Hamilton wins Sunday's race.
Should Antonelli secure the title, he would become the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history and the first Italian to win the drivers' championship since Alberto Ascari in 1953.
The Mexico City Grand Prix, the 19th round of the season, is scheduled to begin at 2 pm local time (2000GMT).
Halis Sünnetci