LEWIS Hamilton's long-awaited breakthrough with Ferrari finally arrived in Mexico City.
The seven-time world champion secured his first pole position in red after edging George Russell by just 0.009 seconds in qualifying, ending a three-year drought and taking the 105th pole of his Formula 1 career.
READ: Kimi Antonelli on the cusp of F1 history after US Grand Prix win
Hamilton clocked a top lap of 1:16.514 for his first pole since the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix and a significant milestone in his first season with Ferrari.
At 41 years old, Hamilton also became the oldest F1 polesitter since Mario Andretti, who was 42 when he took pole at the 1982 Italian Grand Prix.
Ferrari had spent the weekend working through the car's setup, with Hamilton saying the team had learned from its previous outing and gradually found more performance heading into qualifying.
That work showed when the session reached its decisive stages.
Russell came within nine-thousandths of a second of stealing pole, while Charles Leclerc completed a strong day for Ferrari in third. Kimi Antonelli will start fourth after gaining a place from Max Verstappen's grid penalty, with the Red Bull driver dropping to fifth.
Lando Norris starts sixth, followed by Isack Hadjar in seventh. Arvid Lindblad moves up to eighth after Liam Lawson was disqualified from qualifying for a technical breach, while Pierre Gasly and Nico Hulkenberg complete the top 10.
Antonelli's fourth-place starting position also puts him within touching distance of the 2026 world championship. The Mercedes driver needs only a ninth-place finish or better to guarantee the title in Mexico City, regardless of where his rivals finish.
Still, he rises
Hamilton admitted afterward that he was still processing the significance of the moment.
"Oh man, I'm lost for words. To have pole here, it feels special to be in Mexico and get that. My first, I think this is my first pole with Ferrari," Hamilton said.
The pole marked a major breakthrough for Hamilton in Ferrari colors after a wait that had stretched far longer than his usual standards.
But when qualifying came down to the final margins in Mexico City, one of Formula 1's greatest ever qualifiers was back at the front of the grid.
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