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Lewis Hamilton will start the
Mexico City Grand Prix from pole position. The Ferrari driver set the
fastest time in today’s qualifying session with a lap of 1:16.514. That was
enough to beat George Russell, second in 1:16.523, and team-mate Charles
Leclerc, third in 1:16.633. For Hamilton, it is his first Grand Prix pole
position since joining Ferrari. Kimi Antonelli, who is fighting for the
World Championship, secured the fifth-fastest time.
The top ten
drivers were covered by just seven tenths of a second, underlining how
closely fought and competitive the session was. Hamilton and Russell used
five new sets of Soft tyres across the three qualifying segments, while
Leclerc used four.
Reigning World Champion Lando Norris was the
fastest driver in the third free practice session. The McLaren driver posted
a 1:17.600, just one thousandth of a second quicker than Kimi Antonelli
(1:17.601). Charles Leclerc was third on 1:17.717.
In FP3, drivers
used only the Medium and Soft compounds, focusing primarily on qualifying
simulations. The top three all set their fastest times on the C5, which they
fitted for their final runs after starting the session on the C4. The
highest track temperature was recorded during the closing stages of the
session, reaching 48 °C.
The Pirelli Pole Position Award was
presented by Rafa Márquez. Since this year, the former footballer has been
head coach of the Mexico national team. He is widely regarded as one of the
greatest Mexican footballers of all time. During his playing career, he
spent seven seasons as a defender with FC Barcelona, winning two UEFA
Champions League titles and four La Liga championships. He also represented
Mexico in five FIFA World Cups before moving into coaching. |
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DARIO MARRAFUSCHI –
PIRELLI MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR
“We approach the Mexico City Grand Prix with a very open strategic picture.
On paper, both a one-stop and a two-stop race are competitive options, with
several Medium and Soft tyre combinations capable of delivering a very
similar overall race time. The final choice will depend on a range of
factors, including each car's characteristics, aerodynamic set-up levels
and, above all, the traffic drivers may encounter after a pit stop.
Many teams may choose to start on the Medium and switch to the Soft between
laps 35 and 41, taking it through to the chequered flag. In this scenario,
tyre management will remain an important factor despite the relatively low
degradation levels. The alternative two-stop strategy would involve starting
on the Soft, followed by a stint on the Medium and a final stint once again
on the Soft. According to our simulations, there is no significant
difference in total race time between these two options. However, teams
opting for the two-stop strategy will need to carefully assess the impact of
traffic, as the number of cars they may need to overtake after each stop
could prove decisive.
The Hard does not appear to be a particularly
competitive choice compared with the main alternatives. An early race
neutralisation could alter some strategic scenarios, giving teams the option
of completing the race on the C3 or moving towards a two-stop strategy. From
a tyre behaviour perspective, compared with yesterday we have not observed
any significant abrasion or graining, and several long runs showed tyres
remaining in very good condition.
Further evidence of the circuit’s
continuous evolution came during qualifying, the first session in which
drivers completed an additional preparation lap before their flying lap, and
the final one in which they headed straight into the decisive lap."
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