F1 Mexican GP: What Drivers Liked and Didn't Like During Qualifying

Charles Leclerc was the faster Ferrari in all three practice sessions in the 2026 Formula 1 Mexican Grand Prix. But it was Lewis Hamilton who emerged quickest when it mattered most, as the seven-time World Champion snatched pole on Saturday.

Mercedes' George Russell joins Hamilton in the front row, while Leclerc and the championship leader, Kimi Antonelli, are in the second row (following Max Verstappen's one-place grid penalty). 

Here's what the drivers have to say about what they liked and didn't like during Saturday's qualifying at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.

Hamilton's pole on Saturday was his first as a Ferrari driver. Moreover, it's his first pole since the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix, when he was still driving for Mercedes. The Briton has won twice here (2016, 2019), and he's looking for another on Sunday.

Hamilton said that the team got the car's setup correctly just at the right time.

Hamilton: "It hasn’t been a straightforward weekend, with the running we missed and the issue we had yesterday. But we took important lessons from the last race, made good progress with the setup, and today we brought it all together when it mattered."

After qualifying behind Antonelli in the last three races, Russell finally got ahead of his teammate and qualified second in Mexico. The Mercedes driver revealed that they tried a different way of getting the most out of his tyres, particularly in not taking a preparation lap in the last session of Saturday's qualifying.

Russell: "It was tricky getting the tyres into the right window and we took a slightly different approach with our preparation compared to some of those around us. We opted to go for it on the first lap at the end of Q3, rather than take a preparation lap, and that proved the right call."

During his final run in Q3, Verstappen was on course to beat Hamilton for pole, but he locked up towards the end of his lap. It appeared that McLaren's Lando Norris was a bit on his way, which caused the Red Bull driver to miss his optimal braking point.

Verstappen settled for fourth in qualifying, but will slide down to fifth after taking in a one-place grid penalty for his Free Practice 2 incident with Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson.

Verstappen: "Unfortunately, I was in some dirty air and the car in front of me, instead of going left, was driving right. This meant I lost my reference, lost downforce, and had the car in the wrong place for the braking point, so I locked up. It was a shame, as I was for sure in the fight for pole and it affected my lap."

Mexico might not be Oscar Piastri's favorite track in the calendar. Prior to this weekend, his last Q2 exit was in Mexico two years ago. Then, on Saturday, he exited Q2 in Mexico once again.

The McLaren driver was confused as to why his car's behavior changed when he used new tyres for his final run in Q2. 

Piastri: "The car felt well-balanced throughout Free Practice 3 and during the first phase of qualifying. But the moment we fitted the new set of tyres, its behaviour completely changed. It was a bizarre situation after making only minor setup tweaks, so we’ll need to investigate thoroughly to understand what went wrong."

Fernando Alonso had a promising start to Q1, beating other midfield drivers in his first run. However, an engine issue forced him to abort his second run, ruining a potential Q2 appearance for the Spaniard.

Had it not been for the engine issue, Alonso said that the car felt good enough to advance to the next session of qualifying.

Alonso: "The car felt good, and we seemed to be in the fight for a place in Q2. Unfortunately, an engine issue meant we had to stop, and there was nothing more we could do at that point."

Ryo Hirakawa, 32 years of age, isn't exactly a young rookie Formula 1 driver. But on Saturday's qualifying, he was thrown to the fire when he substituted for Haas' main driver Esteban Ocon. The Japanese driver ended up in 18th, failing to advance to Q2. 

Still, it was great seeing Hirakawa finally fulfilling his motorsport dream, especially when he takes the wheel of an F1 car on Sunday's race.

Hirakawa: "I’m here to be a reserve driver and am always ready. I’ve dreamt about it, and today, the dream has come true to race tomorrow. Today has flown by, there’s been a lot to prepare, and the team has helped a lot, so thanks to them."