Vasseur hails Hamilton’s ‘fantastic job’ after Ferrari’s first pole of 2026 in Mexico

Lewis Hamilton delivered Ferrari’s first pole position of the 2026 season in Mexico City qualifying, beating Mercedes’ George Russell by just 0.009s. Fred Vasseur described the lap as “a fantastic job,” pointing to Hamilton’s tyre management through the crucial final corners. Charles Leclerc qualified third, giving Ferrari a 1-3 on the grid for Sunday’s race.

Why it matters:

• Ferrari had been chasing its first pole of the year, often stronger in race trim than over one lap.
• Hamilton’s 105th career pole was also his first at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in a decade.
• Starting first and third gives Ferrari valuable track position at a circuit where clean air and Turn 1 control matter.

The details:

• Hamilton’s final Q3 lap of 1m 16.514s held off Russell after Max Verstappen locked up, leaving the top three covered by fractions.
• Vasseur praised Hamilton’s ability to keep the tyres alive for the last couple of corners without overheating them before Turn 12.
• Leclerc’s P3 came after a strong first run and a final push with one or two small mistakes, though he recovered with purple in the last sector.
• Vasseur called the result “not a bad” outcome, noting Leclerc will start on the left side of the grid.

What's next:

Ferrari’s race pace looked “okay,” but Vasseur stressed that leading into Turn 1 and running in clean air will be decisive. The long run to the first corner offers little margin for error, and Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren remain close enough to punish any hesitation. Ferrari’s challenge is now to turn its first pole into a victory.