Lewis Hamilton will start the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix from pole position, with George Russell alongside him on the front row. Charles Leclerc is third, while championship contender Kimi Antonelli starts fourth at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
Antonelli can clinch the title with a finish of ninth or better, no matter what his rivals achieve. Hamilton and Russell are the only drivers who can prevent him from becoming Formula 1’s youngest-ever World Champion. If neither Briton wins the race, the championship goes to Antonelli.
Hamilton’s pole was his first for Ferrari and his first since the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix. He will be aiming to turn it into a second Grand Prix victory for the team. Russell also starts the race with a chance to win.
Max Verstappen lines up fifth after receiving a one-place grid penalty following a practice incident with Liam Lawson. Lawson was disqualified from qualifying for a technical breach and will start from the pit lane after Racing Bulls made setup changes and fitted a new power unit. Cadillac’s Valtteri Bottas starts at the back following power unit changes that brought a 50-place grid penalty.
The top 10 on the official starting grid are Hamilton, Russell, Leclerc, Antonelli, Verstappen, Lando Norris, Isack Hadjar, Arvid Lindblad, Pierre Gasly and Nico Hülkenberg. Their qualifying times, in order, were 1:16.514, 1:16.523, 1:16.633, 1:16.707, 1:16.692, 1:16.824, 1:16.900, 1:17.117, 1:17.153 and 1:17.306.
Sources: Formula 1.