Hamilton on pole as FIA penalties shake up final Mexican GP starting grid

Hamilton secured his first pole position since 2023 with a lap of 1:16.514, beating former Mercedes teammate George Russell by just 0.009 seconds. Charles Leclerc completed the top three, giving Ferrari two cars inside the first three positions, while Kimi Antonelli will start fourth despite qualifying fifth.

The championship leader gains a position courtesy of Verstappen's one-place grid penalty, imposed following an incident involving Lawson during Friday's second practice session. The Dutchman qualified fourth but will instead line up fifth, alongside Lando Norris, who starts sixth after a disappointing qualifying session for McLaren.

Antonelli, meanwhile, has the opportunity to secure the world championship in Mexico, needing just two points to guarantee the title.

Further back, Isack Hadjar will start seventh ahead of Arvid Lindblad, Pierre Gasly and Nico Hulkenberg, who completes the top ten. Oscar Piastri faces a considerably tougher race after being eliminated in Q2. The Australian will start 12th, immediately behind Franco Colapinto, leaving him with significant ground to make up on the drivers ahead.

Lawson's Mexican Grand Prix weekend has deteriorated considerably since Friday. The Racing Bulls driver initially qualified eighth, but was subsequently disqualified from the session after his car was found to be in breach of the technical regulations concerning the MGU-K. Although the stewards granted him permission to participate in Sunday's race, further developments have now left him facing a pit lane start.

Racing Bulls changed the suspension set-up on Lawson's car under parc fermé conditions without the necessary approval. The team also continued working on the car beyond the permitted covers-on time, while replacing several power unit components without authorisation.

These included a fifth internal combustion engine, fifth turbocharger, fifth exhaust set and seventh power unit ancillary component, all exceeding the permitted seasonal allocations. The replacements would ordinarily have resulted in a cumulative 40-place grid penalty, on top of the one-place penalty Lawson received earlier in the weekend for erratic driving during his incident with Verstappen.

The stewards confirmed that all those grid penalties are absorbed by the mandatory pit lane start. Lawson therefore goes from qualifying inside the top ten to starting Sunday's Grand Prix from the pit lane.

Valtteri Bottas has also been handed a substantial penalty after Cadillac exceeded the permitted allocation of several power unit components. The Finn received a cumulative 50-place grid drop and is listed 21st in the revised starting order, behind teammate Sergio Perez.

There will also be a new face on the grid, with Ryo Hirakawa making his Formula 1 Grand Prix debut for Haas. The Japanese driver replaces Esteban Ocon following the Frenchman's controversial departure from the team. The FIA formally authorised the change, with Hirakawa required to use the engine and tyres originally allocated to Ocon. He qualified 18th and will start alongside Fernando Alonso.