Hamilton Eyes Mexico City Podium After Strongest Qualifying Showing wiht Ferrari
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A promising start to the Mexico City Grand Prix awaits Lewis hamilton after securing third place in Saturday qualifying – his best result as joining Ferrari at the beginning of the 2025 season. The seven-time World Champion is strategically positioned to challenge for the lead, capitalizing on the track’s unique characteristics and a strong race pace.
Qualifying Performance Signals Ferrari Progress
Hamilton finished just over three-tenths of a second behind polesitter Lando Norris and less than one-tenth behind teammate Charles Leclerc at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez circuit. This qualifying performance marks a notable step forward for Hamilton, who also achieved pole position and a victory in the China Sprint earlier this season.
“I’m honoured to be up here with Charles and Lando, these guys have been so quick all year and it’s an amazing feeling,” Hamilton stated. “This is the first time we’ve both been up in the top three in Qualifying this year and the team truly deserve it.”
Optimizing Processes, Not Just Growth
The team’s improvement isn’t solely attributed to new car development, but rather a refinement of existing processes. “We’ve not really moved the car forward necessarily in development but we’ve extracted more from it, our processes are better this weekend and that’s what you’re seeing,” a team representative explained. This focus on optimization appears to be yielding positive results, notably in qualifying trim.
Seeking a First Ferrari Podium
Hamilton is aiming to secure his first Grand Prix podium with Ferrari in Sunday’s 71-lap race. He previously held the unwanted distinction of having made the most starts for the team without achieving a rostrum finish, a record established at the recent US Grand Prix.
Strategic Advantage at Turn 1
The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez offers a unique opportunity for overtaking at the start of the race, boasting the longest run-off to the braking zone at Turn 1 of the entire season. Hamilton believes this provides a significant advantage. “It’s hard to obviously beat these two guys today but P3 is kind of the perfect spot at this track, so I’m hoping I can make the most of that at the start and I think our race pace is not too bad,” he said. He also expressed optimism about the energy of the crowd, hoping to deliver a compelling race for the keen fans. “I think it’s difficult to know really but I’m really hoping with this crowd… I know it’s going to be an amazing crowd tomorrow so we’ll try and give them a good race.”
Why it matters: Lewis Hamilton’s third-place qualifying position at the mexico City Grand Prix represents a significant milestone in his transition to Ferrari, marking his strongest performance with the team thus far in the 2025 season. The track’s unique Turn 1 offers a prime overtaking opportunity, potentially allowing him to challenge the frontrunners, Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc.
Who is involved: The key players are Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), Lando Norris (McLaren), and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari). The Ferrari team as a whole is also central to the story, as their process improvements are contributing to Hamilton’s success.
What happened: Hamilton qualified in third place, his best result with Ferrari. He and Leclerc secured the first top-three qualifying result for Ferrari this season. The team attributes this success to optimized processes rather than significant car development.
How it unfolded: Hamilton leveraged the track’s characteristics and Ferrari’s improved processes to achieve a strong qualifying result. He is now strategically positioned to attempt
