Lewis Hamilton has attributed his first Formula 1 pole position with Ferrari to the adjustments he implemented for the ongoing Mexico Grand Prix weekend.
The seven-time champion narrowly edged out his former Mercedes teammate George Russell by just 0.009 seconds at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, securing the top spot on Sunday’s grid.
This marks Hamilton’s 105th career pole, extending his record, yet it’s the first one since the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix while driving for Silver Arrows, having transitioned to Ferrari the previous year.
“It’s an incredible sensation,” Hamilton stated to Sky Sports. “First and foremost, immense gratitude to my family. I genuinely wouldn’t be here without their support.
“I messaged my mother earlier today, 11-11, which corresponds to her birthday tattoo. Every time I see 11-11 on my phone, it serves as a reminder to reach out to her. I approached this weekend with a different mindset.
“I arrived here on Wednesday, which is something I rarely do. However, we wanted to evaluate our last few races, identifying where we have faltered and how we can enhance our performance.
“We made a small adjustment to our working methodology this weekend. Throughout the weekend, I had this feeling that we had a real chance at competing at the front.
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images
“Yet, we consistently found it surprising that during Q3 we suddenly weren’t in a strong position. Today, we thoroughly reviewed everything.
“Wind direction, tyre performance, track temperature fluctuations throughout the session, and how that impacts the settings required to optimize tyre performance, etc.
“Achieving pole is incredible, finally claiming a pole with Ferrari takes me back to my childhood, sitting on the couch watching Michael Schumacher secure poles, dreaming of the day I could do something similar.”
This comes after numerous missed chances for Ferrari in recent races, typically demonstrating promising speed in practice yet falling short in qualifying, as evidenced in Austin.
Last weekend, the Scuderia dominated all three practice sessions: Charles Leclerc led FP1 and FP2 while Hamilton topped FP3, but the team only managed to qualify fourth and fifth due to an unexpected drop in pace.
Leclerc attributed the qualifying difficulties to issues with the tyres amidst a drop in temperature, highlighting the necessity to master this aspect in Mexico given its significant track evolution and low-grip conditions.
“I was confident all weekend that I had the pace to clinch pole,” Hamilton remarked, whose teammate qualified third, during the press conference.
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, George Russell, Mercedes, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Photo by: Michael Potts / LAT images via Getty Images
“However, these sessions were quite inconsistent. It’s evident that Charles was extremely quick. The key aspect lies in optimizing tyre performance.
“You observe all of us going out, and it appears we’re performing well, but the tyres operate within a very narrow margin where they function optimally before overheating.
“I’ve been working on mastering that. It’s a challenge I’ve faced, particularly over the last few years, especially with the introduction of the 18-inch tyres.
“So, I am learning to adjust my driving style. It’s a different skill set and requires an alternate approach to cornering, necessitating varied balance management.
“I believe I was able to employ a few techniques I hadn’t utilized in about 13 years, achieving the right tyre temperature during the out-lap.
“Once I navigated through Turns 1, 2, and 3, the rest flowed smoothly, and I genuinely don’t think I lost any time anywhere, honestly.
“Thus, it was an overall strong lap; however, I recognize how close my competitors are.”
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– The Autosport.com Team
