Lewis Hamilton secured his best qualifying result of the year with Ferrari, claiming third place on the grid for the F1 Mexico City Grand Prix in front of an adoring crowd at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
A long-awaited return to form
Speaking to the media after the F1 Mexico City GP Qualifying, Hamilton couldn’t hide his delight at returning to the sharp end of the grid. “I was just saying to these guys, it’s been a long time since I’ve been up here, so it feels fresh,” the seven-time world champion said. “And yeah, really grateful to the team for the hard work and just the constant effort through the year. Of course, I wish we had this experience earlier on in the year, but the fact is we’re continuing to improve and continuing to stay positive, and so it’s just great to be up here with these two.”
Hamilton will line up behind pole-sitter Lando Norris and teammate Charles Leclerc for Sunday’s race, marking a significant turnaround for the British driver after a challenging first season with Ferrari.
Finding his feet with Ferrari
When asked about the car’s performance during the F1 Mexico City GP Qualifying session, Hamilton acknowledged the difficult conditions at the high-altitude circuit whilst expressing satisfaction with his progress. “Relatively happy. As Charles said, it is a really difficult circuit. We’re all sliding around in general. The grip is quite low at this circuit because of the altitude. But even with that, clearly, everyone’s experiencing the same thing and our pace has been great all weekend,” he explained.
The 40-year-old also reflected on missing FP1, adding, “I think we’ve made good steps with the car through the weekend. Obviously, I missed FP1 — I wouldn’t say that hampered the weekend, but of course, you learn more with more laps on the track. I think I got the car to as good a place as I could. It’s definitely not easy to put a lap together. But yeah, I’m just happy to be here.”
Improved processes and partnership with Leclerc
Hamilton highlighted the improvements Ferrari have made to their working methods throughout the season. “We continue to improve on our process — from the moment we arrive, to our debriefs, to the decisions we make as a team within engineering, within when we going out — all these different things. So I think we’re just continuously tightening up on some of those areas,” he said.
Perhaps most significantly, Hamilton spoke about his growing partnership with Leclerc and his adaptation to the Ferrari machinery. “And I think just how Charles and I have worked together to move the car and develop it forward has been really positive over the race weekends. Our cars are pretty much identical now, and I’m finally figuring out how to drive this car that Charles has been fortunate to drive for the past seven years, in terms of the characteristics. But I’m finally feeling like I’m getting there. So it’s good.”
“Nothing to lose” for Sunday’s race
Looking ahead to the race, Hamilton made it clear he intends to be aggressive from the start, particularly with championship contender Norris directly ahead. “I don’t know. Definitely want to be racy tomorrow. I don’t have anything to lose, but he does. So I’ll be… Yeah, we’ll be quite aggressive, I’m pretty sure. Hopefully, we’ll be close enough to put up a good fight.”
However, Hamilton remained measured about Ferrari’s competitiveness going forward. “I think this is a peculiar circuit, obviously, with the altitude, so we perhaps are closer than we would normally be, I would say. It’s difficult to say where we’ll be in the next races. I’m not sure we’ll be as close as we are,” he admitted. “But I do think through those small improvements that Charles was talking about, that we’ve made — they make big differences. And it feels great to finally get into Q3 and be able to deliver good laps and be competitive. That’s been a problem all year, particularly on my side.”
Mexican love affair
Hamilton also took time to express his appreciation for the Mexican fans, who have consistently shown him tremendous support. “Yeah, it’s beautiful. It’s really been amazing. Every time I come to Mexico, honestly, I’ve always felt very welcome. I really, really love the city. I mean, I grew up watching it in movies, and it’s even more beautiful in person, I would say,” he said warmly.
“When you get into the city and see the restaurants, the lights that are hanging, it’s just got such a great feel to it. And then obviously we’ve been coming to this race, it’s been growing year on year, and I would say I’m pleasantly surprised to see the positive response that I get from the fans every year here. It’s something I’m incredibly grateful for. So, muchos gracias.”
The challenge ahead
Acknowledging the difficulties of racing at altitude, Hamilton outlined the challenges facing all drivers on Sunday. “It’s tough with the altitude, with the overheating of the car, with the overheating of the brakes,” he admitted.
“I mean, I don’t know how it is for everybody, but I’m pretty sure most people have that experience here with the lack of cooling. So it won’t necessarily be easy. But you’ve got some great drivers behind us. So we shall see.”
