Lewis Hamilton has vowed to be “aggressive” at the start of the Mexico City Grand Prix after recording his best qualifying result as a Ferrari driver.
Seven-time world champion Hamilton will start Sunday’s 71-lap race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez from third on the grid behind pole-sitter Lando Norris and Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc.
It was Hamilton’s best Grand Prix qualifying performance since joining Ferrari, but he took pole position in the Chinese sprint race in just his second race.
And Hamilton will be looking to take advantage of the slipstream effect at Mexico City, where the rundown to Turn 1 is the longest on the entire calendar.
“At one point I was second[on the grid]but it wasn’t really that good, it was quite dirty, so I’m very grateful to be third and I want to take advantage of that,” Hamilton told Sky Sports F1.
“Obviously, Charles has new tires as well as Lando, but he can still tow, so I think third is a good position to start from. So I’m going to be pretty aggressive and hope to make some headway tomorrow.”
Hamilton will aim to end a run of 19 consecutive races without a podium finish in Mexico.
Top 3 in Mexico City
Hamilton, Ferrari: ‘I finally understand’
Hamilton was delighted to return to the top three in qualifying after a difficult debut season with Ferrari.
The 40-year-old Briton said he had “finally figured out” how to drive Ferrari’s 2025 car and praised the team’s improved processes.
“This is the first time we (Hamilton and Leclerc) have both finished in the top three in qualifying this year and the team really deserves it,” said Hamilton.
“We’re just working hard. We haven’t necessarily moved the car forward in development, but we’re getting more out of the car and the process is getting better.
“We continue to improve a variety of processes from the moment we arrive, to debriefing, to decision-making as a team in our engineering departments and on the go. So I think we’re just continuing to strengthen some of these areas.”
“And I think the way Charles and I worked together to move the car and develop it was very positive throughout the race weekend.
“Our cars are pretty much the same now. In terms of characteristics, Charles is finally finding out how to drive this car that he’s been lucky enough to drive for the past seven years. But I feel like we’re finally getting there. So, it’s good.”