Update — October 31, 2026, Qualifying

Lewis Hamilton took pole position for the Mexico City Grand Prix, beating George Russell by 0.009 seconds, with Charles Leclerc third. Reuters and Autosport independently confirmed the qualifying result.

Hamilton delivered Ferrari’s first pole of the season. Autosport reported that Leclerc finished 0.119 seconds behind his teammate after Russell had briefly taken provisional pole on his final run.

The result ends Hamilton’s wait for a regular Grand Prix pole since Hungary in 2023. Saturday’s session determines qualifying order; it does not award the race victory or settle Sunday’s result.

Kimi Antonelli was fifth fastest. Reuters reported that he is due to start fourth because Max Verstappen has a grid penalty. That distinction separates qualifying times from the anticipated starting grid.

Antonelli enters Sunday with a chance to secure the drivers’ championship. The title has not been clinched by the qualifying result.

Earlier Reporting — October 30 Practice and Power-Unit Changes

Update — October 30, 2026, Second Practice: Charles Leclerc completed a sweep of Friday's Mexico City practice sessions, leading FP2 with a lap of 1 minute, 17.827 seconds, Formula 1's official session report shows.

Lando Norris was second, 0.103 seconds behind, with George Russell third at 0.106 seconds. Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen completed the top five, respectively 0.217 and 0.311 seconds off Leclerc's time.

Lewis Hamilton's session ended early after he was instructed to stop his Ferrari on track. Formula 1 reported that a Virtual Safety Car was deployed. Hamilton finished 11th in the published order.

The results concern practice rather than qualifying or race points. The weekend continues with third practice and qualifying on October 31.

Earlier Update — October 30, Power-Unit Changes

Update — October 30, 2026: Cadillac driver Valtteri Bottas is set for a substantial grid penalty at the Mexico City Grand Prix after taking five new power-unit components, Formula 1 reported in a 20:50 UTC announcement.

The changes cover the internal combustion engine, turbocharger, energy store, control electronics and motor generator unit–kinetic. Formula 1 said each represents a first breach of that component's seasonal allocation, producing a cumulative 50-place penalty.

Under the rule described in the report, a penalty exceeding 15 places puts a driver at the back of the field. The FIA wording cited by Formula 1 makes the grid allocation subject to Bottas being classified in qualifying. This is a grid consequence for the race, not a change to the first-practice finishing order.

Earlier Reporting — October 30, First Practice

Charles Leclerc was fastest in the Mexico City Grand Prix’s opening practice session October 30, setting a lap of 1 minute, 18.128 seconds at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.

Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli finished second, 0.659 seconds behind, while Frederik Vesti was third, 0.733 seconds off Leclerc’s time. Lewis Hamilton placed fourth for Ferrari and Ayumu Iwasa fifth for Red Bull, according to the official session results.

Vesti was driving George Russell’s car for the session. Formula 1 reported that 10 of the 11 teams used young drivers, while Ferrari retained its regular pairing.

The session gave several less-experienced drivers an opportunity to run during a Grand Prix weekend. Formula 1 identified Nikola Tsolov at Racing Bulls and Freddie Slater at Audi as making their F1 session debuts.

The FIA’s results recorded 29 laps for Leclerc, 30 for Antonelli and 24 for Vesti. Hamilton’s best lap was 1:18.866, just five thousandths of a second slower than Vesti, while Iwasa recorded 1:19.113.

The opening hour began on a dusty surface with limited grip. Formula 1 reported that Isack Hadjar encountered a power-unit problem early in the session and returned to the pits.

Friday’s times establish the order in first practice. They do not determine the starting grid, award race points or settle the championship. The weekend continues with further running before qualifying and the Grand Prix.

Sources Formula 1 — October 30 First Practice Report: https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/fp1-leclerc-leads-antonelli-in-mexico-city-as-new-faces-make-formula-1-debuts.5IkozqYxX25QgmGJqc0NlA FIA — Mexico City First Practice Results Table: https://www.fia.com/news/f1-leclerc-tops-fp1-mexico-city-f1-rookies-get-chance-shine Formula 1 — October 30 power-unit and grid-penalty announcement: https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/bottas-set-for-grid-penalty-at-mexico-city-grand-prix-after-power-unit-changes.2J7hkopU6hrvgFvlK82cip Formula 1 — October 30 completed second-practice report and results: https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/fp2-leclerc-tops-eventful-second-practice-from-norris-and-russell-at-mexico-city-grand-prix.5iyjNG9TZGc6DfLTacb05D Reuters — October 31 Qualifying Report: https://www.reuters.com/sports/formula1/hamilton-ends-pole-drought-mexico-city-gp-2026-10-31/ Autosport — October 31 Qualifying Report: https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/f1-mexico-gp-lewis-hamilton-beats-george-russell-and-charles-leclerc-to-pole/10870295/