Hamilton takes first Ferrari pole in Mexico

Lewis Hamilton claimed pole position for the Mexico City Grand Prix on Saturday, giving Ferrari its first pole of the 2026 Formula 1 season and his first since joining the team. He edged Mercedes driver George Russell by 0.009 seconds in qualifying at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Hamilton’s final lap of 1:16.514 put him ahead of Russell, who recorded 1:16.523. Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc qualified third, 0.119 seconds behind Hamilton. The result was Hamilton’s 105th career pole and his first since the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix. The pole followed a difficult Friday for Hamilton. He said an engine issue during practice had cost him track time and left him without a long run. Hamilton credited Ferrari’s setup work for helping him recover, saying the team had made only minimal overnight changes. Hamilton also said his first pole with Ferrari brought back memories of watching Michael Schumacher take pole positions and wins with the team. Schumacher secured 58 poles and 72 victories for Ferrari from 1996 to 2006, according to the qualifying coverage. Hamilton described the achievement as special and said he was pleased to reward the team’s faith in him. Russell had briefly...