Hamilton takes Mexico City GP pole by nine thousandths, Antonelli fifth with the title in reach
Russell misses out by nine thousandths, Leclerc completes the top three, and Verstappen's grid penalty moves the championship leader up to fourth
Result, 1 November: Max Verstappen won the Mexico City Grand Prix ahead of Lewis Hamilton, and Kimi Antonelli finished third to become the 2026 Formula 1 world champion. Full classification: Mexico City Grand Prix 2026 results. Our report: Verstappen wins as Antonelli is crowned.
Lewis Hamilton took pole position for the Mexico City Grand Prix on Saturday, beating George Russell by nine thousandths of a second with a lap of 1:16.514 at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Charles Leclerc made it two Ferraris in the top three, while championship leader Kimi Antonelli qualified fifth and will start fourth after a grid penalty for Max Verstappen.
Full classification and grid: Mexico City Grand Prix 2026 results.
Nine thousandths between Ferrari and Mercedes
The fight for pole came down to the final runs in Q3. Russell set a 1:16.523 and looked set to start from the front, but Hamilton found just enough on his last lap to take the top spot. Leclerc was 0.119 seconds off the pace in third, Verstappen fourth at 0.178 and Antonelli fifth at 0.193. Less than two tenths covered the top five.
Lando Norris, who topped final practice earlier on Saturday, was the quickest driver in Q2 with a 1:16.728 but could not repeat that in Q3 and ended up sixth. Isack Hadjar put the second Red Bull seventh, ahead of Arvid Lindblad in the Racing Bulls and Pierre Gasly for Alpine. Liam Lawson was eighth on the timesheet but was later disqualified for an MGU-K infringement, which moves Nico Hülkenberg’s Audi into the top ten.
Top ten in qualifying
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Q3 time / gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:16.514 |
| 2 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | +0.009 |
| 3 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +0.119 |
| 4 | 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | +0.178 |
| 5 | 12 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +0.193 |
| 6 | 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | +0.310 |
| 7 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull Racing | +0.386 |
| 8 | 41 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | +0.603 |
| 9 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +0.639 |
| 10 | 27 | Nico Hülkenberg | Audi | No time in Q3 |
| DQ | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | Disqualified (MGU-K) |
Source: official qualifying classification, formula1.com, after Lawson’s disqualification (FIA documents 57 and 58). Q3 times; gap to pole.
Verstappen drops one place, Lawson starts last
The qualifying order is not the starting grid. Verstappen and Lawson both received a one-place grid penalty for their collision in second practice on Friday, so Antonelli moves up to fourth and Verstappen starts fifth, with Lindblad eighth. Lawson was later disqualified from qualifying for an MGU-K breach and starts 22nd and last. Valtteri Bottas, last in qualifying for Cadillac, starts 21st after taking five new power unit elements. The background is in our explainer on the Mexico GP grid penalties. The official starting grid will appear on our results page once formula1.com publishes it.
Piastri out in Q2, Hirakawa 19th on debut
Oscar Piastri had a difficult afternoon and was eliminated in Q2 in 13th, more than half a second slower than his McLaren team-mate managed in that session. Nico Hulkenberg was the best of those who missed Q3, in 11th for Audi.
Ryo Hirakawa, called up by Haas this weekend in place of Esteban Ocon, qualified 19th on his Grand Prix debut, ahead of Lance Stroll, Sergio Perez and Bottas. Why Ocon was replaced at Haas.
A top nine is still enough for Antonelli
Antonelli leads the championship on 365 points, 123 ahead of Russell and 124 ahead of Hamilton in the official standings. With 125 points left this season, a finish in the top nine on Sunday is enough to make him world champion. All scenarios are in our F1 2026 title scenarios.
Our view
Pole is a statement from Hamilton and Ferrari, but the man who matters most on Sunday starts fourth. Antonelli does not need to beat Hamilton or Russell; he needs to stay out of trouble on the long run to Turn 1 and bring the car home in the points places that count. Starting ahead of Verstappen helps. The real risk is the opening lap, where a wide, fast run to the first braking zone has caught out front-runners before.
The race starts on Sunday at 14:00 local, 20:00 UK, 21:00 CET and 15:00 ET
The Mexico City Grand Prix runs over 71 laps on Sunday 1 November, starting at 14:00 local time, 20:00 UK, 21:00 CET and 15:00 ET. Full schedule and how to watch: Mexico Grand Prix 2026 start times. Friday’s running is in our second practice report.
Tyre strategy for the race, from Pirelli: Mexico City GP tyre strategy, one stop or two.
Can Hamilton convert pole into a win, or will Antonelli wrap up the title in Mexico City? Tell us in the comments.
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