Lewis Hamilton inspired by groundbreaking first Ferrari F1 pole: "I continue to cherish my work"
At the venue of two of his seven world championship triumphs, Lewis Hamilton penned yet another remarkable entry in his distinguished Formula 1 journey and added a cherished memory to his collection from Mexico, one that had been long-awaited.
Hamilton ended Ferrari's pole position drought by claiming the Scuderia's inaugural pole of 2026, marking his first pole in red and his first since the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix. With this achievement, he became the fifth-oldest driver to secure a pole at 41 years and 297 days, now sitting between Mario Andretti and Nigel Mansell on the all-time leaderboard.
After George Russell from Mercedes had briefly snatched provisional pole from Charles Leclerc with his final attempt at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Hamilton countered with a slightly quicker first sector, reclaiming pole from his former teammate by a mere 0.009 seconds.
"Oh man, I'm at a loss for words. It feels incredible to be in Mexico and achieve my first pole with Ferrari, and number 105. I really like that number," Hamilton expressed.
Hamilton's pole position came after he lost crucial track time during Friday's practice due to a power unit issue, restricting him to just 13 laps in FP2. Nonetheless, he was genuinely pleased with how his Ferrari performed on the high-altitude, low-grip track, having only made slight setup adjustments overnight.
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, George Russell, Mercedes
"It's been an incredibly tough and challenging weekend," he remarked.
"Of course, during FP1, we had a [aerodynamic] rake in operation, and then we faced the engine issue yesterday, which put us on the back foot. I didn't manage to complete a long run, but we've done an excellent job with the setup throughout the weekend."
When informed that he is now F1's oldest polesitter since Andretti, which sparked discussions about his longevity, Hamilton replied: "Oh man, where there’s a will, there’s a way. It’s all in the mindset. I engage in various activities to maintain my youth and fitness."
"But my passion for what I do hasn’t faded. Every day I wake up thinking about it. I dream about it, and I have incredible support from fans worldwide that keeps me motivated, so I hope they are pleased with today’s result, and I aim to deliver for them tomorrow."
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