Lewis Hamilton won his first pole position for Ferrari in Formula 1 and will start from pole position at the Mexican Grand Prix. At the “Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez“ track, the Briton recorded the 105th pole position of his career, breaking the drought since July 2023.
The achievement also has historical value. At 41, Hamilton became the oldest driver to take pole position since Mario Andretti, who was 42 when he took his first pole position at Monza in 1982.
After qualifying, the seven-time world champion linked the success to the years he spent watching Michael Schumacher win with the Italian team.
“It feels great to be able to reward them with a pole position. And to get my first pole position for Ferrari – it just takes me back to watching Michael take all those pole positions and wins with Ferrari. "So this is something very, very special," said Hamilton.
Schumacher won five of his seven world titles with Ferrari between 2000 and 2004. His first pole position for the team was at the San Marino Grand Prix in 1996.
Hamilton, who won the race in Spain earlier in the season, said age is not an obstacle for him.
"It's all in the head. I love what I do and that love hasn't gone away," said the Briton.
Hamilton also had warm words for Kimi Antonelli, who replaced the Briton at Mercedes. The Italian started fourth in Mexico and needs a top-nine finish to win the world title.
Antonelli could become champion without finishing in that zone if Hamilton or George Russell fail to win the race. Going into the race, Hamilton trailed the leader by 124 points, while Russell was 123 points behind.
“He has such a bright future ahead of him. So I'm grateful to be racing at this moment to see it and witness it. I really hope we have some real battles going forward,“ said Hamilton.
Hamilton's first pole position with Ferrari came after a difficult period for the Briton, who moved to the Italian team after more than a decade at Mercedes. Now he will lead the charge in Mexico, while Antonelli will have the opportunity to decide the title battle.