Hamilton ends three-year pole drought with first Ferrari pole in Mexico

Lewis Hamilton ended a 78-race wait for pole by topping Mexico City qualifying, then linked his first Ferrari P1 to memories of watching Michael Schumacher dominate Saturdays for the Scuderia.

Why it matters:

At 41, Hamilton is the oldest polesitter since Mario Andretti in 1982. The result validates a difficult first Ferrari season and gives the team a timely lift.

The details:

• Hamilton's 1m16.514s beat Mercedes' George Russell by 0.009s, with Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc third.
• It was his first pole since the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix, ending a 78-race-weekend drought.
• He called it emotional: "To have your first Ferrari pole, it just takes me back to watching Michael get all those pole positions."
• Hamilton described the lap as "millimetre perfect" after Leclerc had been three or four tenths clear in Q3. He found the tyre window on his final run.
• The weekend had been difficult, including a Friday stoppage that cost him a long run.

What's next:

Hamilton starts ahead of Russell and Leclerc. Ferrari must now turn a one-lap advantage into race pace, but the pole already proves Hamilton's partnership with the team can deliver the highs he joined Maranello to chase.