Lewis Hamilton will start the 2026 Mexican Grand Prix from pole position for Ferrari, ahead of Mercedes drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc completing the top three.
Max Verstappen will start fifth for Red Bull after receiving a one-place penalty for his practice collision with Liam Lawson. Verstappen had qualified fourth, while Lawson was originally due to drop from eighth to ninth for the same incident.
Lawson’s situation worsened after he was excluded from the qualifying results for an MGU-K infringement. Racing Bulls subsequently made engine component and set-up changes to his car, requiring him to start from the pitlane.
The penalties promote McLaren’s Lando Norris to sixth, followed by Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar and Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad. Pierre Gasly and Nico Hulkenberg complete the top 10.
Valtteri Bottas also received a 50-place grid penalty for taking fresh engine components in his Cadillac. He had qualified 22nd, but will start 21st because of Lawson’s pitlane start.
The provisional grid is: Hamilton, Russell, Leclerc, Antonelli, Verstappen, Norris, Hadjar, Lindblad, Gasly, Hulkenberg, Franco Colapinto, Oscar Piastri, Gabriel Bortoleto, Ollie Bearman, Carlos Sainz, Alex Albon, Fernando Alonso, Ryo Hirakawa, Lance Stroll, Sergio Perez and Bottas. Lawson will start from the pitlane.
Sources: The Race.