Lewis Hamilton claimed his first pole for Ferrari at the Mexico City Grand Prix, beating Mercedes' George Russell and teammate Charles Leclerc.
The seven-time world champion set a time of 1:16.514, 0.009 ahead of Russell to claim the 105th pole of his career.
Max Verstappen qualified fourth but will start fifth after receiving a one-place grid penalty. Kimi Antonelli, who qualified fifth, is therefore promoted to fourth.
The shock of the day came as Oscar Piastri could only muster a P13; the Australian did not look confident during qualifying.
A Quick Recap
Qualifying began with a warm reception for Sergio Perez, who was the first driver out when the lights went green. The home favourite's qualifying ended in disappointment as he was eliminated in Q1.
Q1 was interrupted by a red flag after Fernando Alonso was instructed over the team radio to stop his car. The Spaniard had looked as feisty as ever and was running third at the time of his retirement.
The stoppage disrupted the flying laps of Verstappen and Leclerc, but they eventually eased through to Q2. Alex Albon, Alonso, Ryo Hirakawa, Lance Stroll, Perez and Valtteri Bottas were all eliminated.
Oscar Piastri's mixed season continued as he failed to make the top 10 despite his teammate Norris progressing comfortably. Piastri said over the radio that rear grip was an issue as he could only do the 13th-best time.
Nico Hulkenberg, Franco Colapinto, Gabriel Bortoleto, Oliver Bearman and Carlos Sainz joined Piastri to miss out on Q3.
Ferrari were the first to set representative times in the final shootout, with Leclerc initially leading the way.
Mercedes appeared to be struggling to match the pace while Norris moved up to second on his first attempt. Verstappen also looked competitive, although Hadjar locked up in the stadium section on his first run.
The final run was chaotic as Leclerc struggled to keep his car on track, hustling the car to get that extra tenth. Verstappen was set to do a personal best, but traffic in the form of Norris caused him to lock up in the stadium section while Hadjar continued to struggle.
Antonelli looked slightly off the pace than usual and never threatened pole, while Russell looked inspired in the closing stages, finishing second.
Ultimately, it was Hamilton's day, delivering pole when others made mistakes. After being second best to his teammate all weekend, when it came to Q3, he came out on top.
| Position | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari |
| 2 | George Russell | Mercedes |
| 3 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari |
| 4 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull |
| 5 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes |
| 6 | Lando Norris | McLaren |
| 7 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull |
| 8 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls |
| 9 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine |
| 10 | Nico Hulkenberg | Audi |
| 11 | Franco Colapinto | Alipine |
| 12 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren |
| 13 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi |
| 14 | Oliver Bearman | Haas |
| 15 | Carlos Sainz | Williams |
| 16 | Alexander Albon | Williams |
| 17 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin |
| 18 | Ryo Hirakawa | Haas |
| 19 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin |
| 20 | Sergio Perez | Cadillac |
| 21 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac |
| DQ | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls |
