Hamilton Breaks the Drought: His First Pole With Ferrari in Mexico

Lewis Hamilton has felt invincible again, the British Ferrari driver achieved pole position at the Mexico Grand Prix, the first with the Scuderia since his arrival at Maranello and the 105th of his career in Formula 1, an achievement that breaks a three-year drought and that vindicates his decision to leave Mercedes to embark on a new challenge, the emotion in the Ferrari garage was palpable: the seven-time world champion had returned to the top and had done so with the team he always dreamed of.

Qualifying was a battle of extreme precision: Hamilton set a time of 1:16.514 on his last attempt, beating George Russell by only nine thousandths of a second. Charles Leclerc completed the top 3, while Max Verstappen who locked up on his last lap and Kimi Antonelli closed a top 5 separated by less than two tenths, the equality was maximum and the slightest mistake was paid dearly on a circuit where altitude and lack of grip complicate every corner.

For Hamilton this pole has a special meaning, it is not only the first with Ferrari but also a sign that his adaptation to the SF-26 is bearing fruit, the Briton has worked tirelessly to understand a car that has not always adapted to his driving style and this pole is the reward for that effort: "It is an incredible feeling, I knew we could achieve it but we had to put everything in its place. The team has done a fantastic job and I am very grateful for their support" Hamilton declared after the session.

Qualifying also left surprises: Oscar Piastri, who had been one of the fastest in the free practice sessions, was eliminated in Q2 and will start thirteenth, Fernando Alonso for his part was eliminated in Q1 after Aston Martin ordered him to retire due to a water pressure problem in the ERS system. The Spaniard, visibly frustrated, could not complete his fast lap and finished eighteenth.

Behind, Nico Hülkenberg was eleventh with the Audi, followed by Franco Colapinto, twelfth with the Alpine. Gabriel Bortoleto finished fourteenth ahead of Ollie Bearman and Carlos Sainz, who beat his teammate Alex Albon. Lance Stroll, Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas completed the classification.

Ryo Hirakawa, who replaces Esteban Ocon at Haas for the rest of the weekend completed his first Formula 1 qualifying in nineteenth position, a more than worthy performance for a debutant. Lance Stroll, Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas completed the starting order.

Hamilton's pole is a shock move for Ferrari, which seeks to close the season with good sensations and lay the foundations for a 2027 in which it hopes to fight for the title again, the Briton, with his experience and his talent, is the key piece of that project. Sunday's race will be a new opportunity to demonstrate that the Scuderia has returned to the path of victory.

Hamilton, for his part, has clear that this is only the beginning, his dream of winning with Ferrari is increasingly closer.