Hamilton ends pole drought

Lewis Hamilton claimed his first pole position in over three years at the Mexico Grand Prix, securing the top spot with a time of 1'16''514. He narrowly edged out George Russell by just nine thousandths of a second, ending a long wait since his previous pole in the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix.

Ferrari's strong performance

Despite technical issues on Friday, Hamilton capitalized on the potential of his Ferrari during qualifying. His final lap was crucial in maintaining his lead, and he became the oldest driver to achieve a pole position since Mario Andretti in 1982. This marked a significant milestone in his career.

Leclerc finishes third

Charles Leclerc, who had dominated Friday's practice sessions, finished third, 119 thousandths of a second behind Hamilton. He will share the second row of the grid with Kimi Antonelli, who moved up due to a penalty on Max Verstappen. Verstappen's collision with Liam Lawson during earlier qualifying sessions dropped him one position.

Piastri's Q2 exit

Oscar Piastri faced a major setback, being eliminated in the second qualifying session. McLaren's strategy of using soft tires in Q2 did not yield results for Piastri, who struggled with traction and made a mistake in the intermediate sector. His teammate Lando Norris set the best time in Q2, nearly a second ahead of Piastri.

Other notable events

Several other incidents marked the qualifying session. Fernando Alonso's car was immobilized in the stadium section due to a water pressure issue, leading to a red flag. He received a reprimand for not resetting his steering wheel after retiring. Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz was investigated for not following track direction instructions at a chicane. The Cadillac team will start last, with Sergio Pérez and Valtteri Bottas occupying the final positions.