Lewis Hamilton takes Mexico pole position: but is it worth it

Lewis Hamilton qualified on pole position for today's race in Mexico City. Speaking after the session, Charles Leclerc, who finished third on Saturday, said that he is already looking for a tow.

Asked whether he could take advantage of his teammate's slipstream, he explained: "Yes, I mean, I'll keep my head down as much as possible and see what's possible. But, yes, it's always an exciting Turn 1 there, and we'll see how it goes."

Since the competition returned to Mexico in 2015, the pole sitter has gone on to win only five of the 10 races. That was also the case in the past two seasons, as both Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris won from pole position in 2024 and 2025.

After the start, however, overtaking tends to be difficult in Mexico City. This means that a good starting position is particularly important when fighting for victory. Since 2015, the lowest grid position from which a driver has won the race is third place. Hamilton first achieved this in 2019, while Verstappen did so twice, in 2021 and 2023.

"I think whatever the standing is after Turn 3, it's going to be very difficult then to overtake," Leclerc said. George Russell, who will start from second place, added: "I think Turn 1 is going to be crucial."