Hamilton takes first Ferrari pole as Antonelli closes in on F1 title

Lewis Hamilton took his first pole position for Ferrari at the Mexico City Grand Prix, while Kimi Antonelli qualified fifth in a race that could secure the 20-year-old his first Formula 1 world title.

Hamilton beat former Mercedes team-mate George Russell by 0.009 seconds to claim the 105th pole of his career and his first since the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix. A penalty for Max Verstappen moves Antonelli up one place, to fourth on the grid, alongside Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.

Antonelli needs only to finish ninth or higher if Russell wins, or 10th or higher if Hamilton wins, to clinch the championship. Those are the only two drivers who can still prevent him from securing the title this weekend, according to BBC Sport.

Hamilton said the championship was not on his mind: his focus was on getting the best result for Ferrari and holding on to second place in the constructors’ championship. Russell called Antonelli’s title win “obviously inevitable” and said it was most likely to happen this weekend.

Antonelli said the stakes had made him feel more tense than usual and affected his confidence in qualifying. He was fifth-fastest, 0.184 seconds behind Russell, before Verstappen’s penalty changed his starting position.

Hamilton described his pole as “one of the greatest feelings”. It came on his 43rd start for Ferrari, after a difficult first season with the team. He said his form had improved this year and that he was still settling in with new engineers.

The Briton goes into Sunday’s race without having completed a race-simulation run in second practice, after a breakdown. He said finding the right balance would be a challenge.

Antonelli starts on the second row, but the run to the first corner is more than 800 metres, leaving room for drivers behind to attack. He missed Thursday’s media day through illness and said he planned to spend the evening with family and friends before focusing on the race.