Racing
League
Rugby
Football
Cricket
Golf
Sport Nation
Motorsport
Netball
Basketball
Combat Sports
Olympics
Other Sports
How to sync your TV with SNLawson qualifying scratched, will start from back of the grid
Carlos Rodriguez •  November 1st, 2026 1:12 pm
Liam Lawson | Photo: Alberto Vimercati/DPPI
Kiwi Liam Lawson will start the Mexico City Grand Prix from the back of the grid after being disqualified from qualifying for a technical breach.
He had qualified eighth, but the stewards found his Racing Bulls car failed to meet the required MGU-K power reduction after his fastest lap in Q2.
Lawson has been permitted to start the race and is listed 22nd on the provisional grid.
The decision followed an eventful weekend for Lawson, who had already received a one-place grid penalty for his Friday practice clash with Max Verstappen.
Meanwhile, British driver Lewis Hamilton claimed pole position at the Mexico City Grand Prix, rebounding from a difficult Friday practice. Hamilton edged out Mercedes' George Russell and Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc.
"I feel great, that feels good, I am at a loss of words," Hamilton said.
"We did a pretty good job with the set-up in the weekend. It feels special for me in Mexico, my first pole for Ferrari here."
George Russell, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were quickest in qualifying | Photo: AP
He has extended his own record for Formula One pole positions to 105.
Furthermore, at 41 years and some months Hamilton was the fifth oldest driver to secure an F1 pole position and the oldest since Mario Andretti did it in 1982 at age 42. Nino Farina holds the record at 47 years, two months.
This marks the Italian team's first pole position since Hungary last year, 30 races ago.
Hamilton, who has crowned himself world champion twice in Mexico, will aim to become the first Ferrari driver to win a race from pole since Carlos Sainz in Mexico in 2024.
On Friday during the second practice, he suffered a loss of power that forced him to retire.
Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton set a cracking pace in Mexico City | Photo: AP
Kimi Antonelli could become the youngest world champion in F1 history. He qualified fifth, demonstrating his car's set-up was optimal for the 20-year-old Italian.
Antonelli, who won the US Grand Prix last week from pole, can finish as low as ninth on Sunday at the Autodromo Hermanos RodrÃguez to surpass the record set by Sebastian Vettel, who became world champion the first time at 23.
Russell began the season as Mercedes' No. 1 driver and won the first race of the year in Australia, but Antonelli has since won nine grands prix.
Antonelli can also become the first Italian to win the title since Alberto Ascari in 1953, while Mercedes can clinch the constructors' title on Sunday for the first time since 2021.
Kimi Antonelli was fifth-fastest in Mexico City, where he could clinch the drivers' championship | Photo: AP
Australia's Oscar Piastri finished a disappointing 13th in qualifying, with his McLaren teammate Lando Norris sixth fastest.
Fernando Alonso, who arrived in Mexico amid controversy after claiming that the bottom third of F1 drivers lack quality, was eliminated after completing just four laps in the first qualifying session.
The Spanish Aston Martin driver was instructed to stop shortly before reaching the pit lane, and he made no secret of his annoyance.
"I'm only a hundred metres from the pit lane entrance," the two-time world champion said over the radio, while striking the steering wheel with his hands in frustration.
The Mexico City GP does not hold fond memories for Alonso, who has failed to finish the past four races.
