Hamilton takes first proper pole for Ferrari, Antonelli starts fourth

MEXICO CITY, Oct 31 : Lewis Hamilton took his first pole position for Ferrari at the Mexico City Grand Prix on Saturday with Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli fourth on the grid for a ground-breaking race likely to make the 20-year-old Formula One's youngest champion.

Antonelli needs only a ninth-place finish at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on Sunday to become Italy's first champion since 1953. He was fifth fastest in qualifying, when he admitted he felt tense, but will move up a place due to Red Bull's Max Verstappen, in fourth, taking a grid drop.

The pole, in a time of one minute 16.514 seconds, was a record-extending 105th of Hamilton's stellar career. While he has had two sprint poles since he joined Ferrari last year, he has not had one at a regular grand prix since Hungary in July 2023 when he was at Mercedes - a wait of 1,197 days.

"Thank you so much, it has been such a long time coming," Hamilton said over the team radio. "Mega job, guys - I am so grateful for the hard work you guys put in."

OLDEST POLE SITTER SINCE 1982

The pole also made the seven-times world champion, 41, the oldest pole sitter since American Mario Andretti, at 42, at Monza in Italy in 1982.

Mercedes' George Russell, Antonelli's closest rival but 123 points behind his teammate with only 100 to be won after this weekend, was second fastest - just 0.009 adrift after taking provisional pole only for Hamilton to beat his time - and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc third and 0.119 off the pace.

Both Hamilton and Russell have to win if either of the remaining contenders is to keep Antonelli waiting another week for the inevitable.

"I struggled to get a good feeling from the tyres in Q3. I just didn't have the most confidence. I was a bit tense, I am not going to lie,"