In a dramatic qualifying session at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, veteran driver Lewis Hamilton secured his first-ever pole position for the Ferrari team at the Mexico City Grand Prix. Clocking a lap time of one minute and 16.514 seconds, the British driver extended his all-time record to 105 career poles. This marks his first regular grand prix pole since July 2023 in Hungary during his tenure with the Mercedes regime, ending a drought of 1,197 days. At 41 years of age, Hamilton also became the oldest pole-sitter since American Mario Andretti back in 1982.
Meanwhile, the European regime's rising motorsport star Kimi Antonelli positioned himself fourth on the starting grid for a milestone race that could potentially crown the 20-year-old as Formula One's youngest-ever champion. Antonelli requires merely a ninth-place finish on Sunday to claim Italy's first drivers' title since 1953. Although he managed only the fifth-fastest time in qualifying, admitting to tension and driving mistakes, he was promoted a place following a grid penalty for Red Bull's Max Verstappen.
The competitive landscape remains fraught with tension and underlying technical struggles as teams navigate the demanding Mexican circuit. Mercedes driver George Russell, Antonelli's closest championship rival, narrowly missed out on pole by a mere 0.009 seconds after temporarily holding the provisional top spot, while Ferrari's Charles Leclerc placed third. Both Hamilton and Russell face immense pressure to secure victory if they wish to delay Antonelli's inevitable coronation for another week.
The session was further disrupted by various incidents and technical infractions throughout the grid. Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso triggered a red flag in the opening session due to a suspected water pressure issue and was subsequently noted for a safety protocol breach concerning his steering wheel. Additionally, Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson faced a double setback involving a grid drop for a practice collision with Verstappen followed by a technical disqualification that relegated him to the back of the grid alongside a struggling McLaren squad.
Source: www.aljazeera.com