Lewis Hamilton secured pole position for Ferrari at the Mexico City Grand Prix on Saturday, marking his first pole for the team and the 105th of his Formula One career. The 41-year-old seven-time world champion recorded a lap time of 1:16.514, becoming the oldest driver to claim pole since Mario Andretti in 1982.

Hamilton narrowly edged out Mercedes’ George Russell by just 0.009 seconds, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc qualifying third. Russell’s teammate, Kimi Antonelli—Hamilton’s closest rival in the championship standings—qualified fourth. Antonelli needs only a ninth-place finish in Sunday’s race to clinch Italy’s first drivers’ title since 1953.

Hamilton acknowledged the collective effort of his Ferrari team following a qualifying session that ended a prolonged pole position drought across regular races since 2023. The close margins among the top qualifiers set the stage for a highly competitive race.

Other notable qualifiers included reigning world champion Lando Norris, who secured sixth place, and Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar in seventh. Japanese driver Ryo Hirakawa made his Formula One debut at age 32. Mexico’s Sergio Perez, preparing to start his 300th Grand Prix, lined up near the rear of the grid.

With the field closely matched, the Mexico City Grand Prix promises to be a critical and exciting conclusion to the season when the race commences on Sunday.