Mexico Grand Prix 2026 Qualifying Result: Hamilton on Pole, Full Grid and Race Time in Pakistan

Lewis Hamilton took pole position for the Mexico City Grand Prix 2026 in his Ferrari with a lap of 1:16.514, and the race starts at 1:00 am PKT on Monday 2 November. George Russell starts second, only 0.009 seconds slower. Kimi Antonelli, who leads the world championship by 123 points, starts fifth, and a finish of eighth or better makes him champion tonight.

Qualifying ended at about 3 am PKT on Sunday 1 November. We read the full qualifying classification and the drivers' standings on Formula 1's own results pages on 1 November 2026. The Pakistan times and the title sums below are our own arithmetic from those pages.

Hamilton beat Russell to pole by nine thousandths of a second

Hamilton set 1:16.514 in the final part of qualifying, Q3, at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. Russell's Mercedes was 0.009 seconds behind. Charles Leclerc, in the second Ferrari, was third, and Max Verstappen fourth for Red Bull Racing.

That gap is tiny. A blink takes far longer. Hamilton also had the quickest Q1 lap of the top ten, which suggests the Ferrari was fast from the first run rather than on one lucky lap.

The biggest surprise sits lower down. Oscar Piastri was knocked out in Q2 and starts 13th in the second McLaren, while his teammate Norris is sixth. Fernando Alonso managed only four laps and starts 18th for Aston Martin.

The Mexico race starts at 1 am PKT on Monday 2 November

The Mexico City Grand Prix starts at 2:00 pm local time on Sunday 1 November, which is 1:00 am PKT on Monday 2 November. Mexico City is 11 hours behind Pakistan. A normal race runs for about an hour and a half, so expect the finish at around 2:30 am PKT.

That is a late night for anyone with work or school on Monday. If you only want the result, Formula 1 posts the classification on its results page within minutes of the chequered flag. If you want to watch, the full weekend timetable and viewing options are on our Mexico Grand Prix 2026 time in Pakistan page.

Formula 1's broadcast list did not show a Pakistan entry when we checked it in late October. F1 TV is the series' own streaming service, but its Pakistani store redirected to the Saudi store from our connection, so check the price in the app before you pay.

Antonelli is champion tonight with eighth place or better

Antonelli leads with 365 points. Russell has 242 and Hamilton 241. After Mexico there are four races left, worth 100 points at most. So Antonelli becomes champion tonight if he leaves Mexico more than 100 points clear of everyone.

Here is how that works out, using the normal points scale of 25 for a win down to 1 for tenth.

1. Antonelli finishes eighth or higher: he scores at least 4 points, his lead stays above 100 even if Russell wins, and he is world champion.
2. Antonelli finishes ninth: he is champion unless Russell wins the race.
3. Antonelli finishes tenth or scores nothing: he is champion unless Russell or Hamilton wins the race.
4. Russell wins and Antonelli scores 2 points or fewer: the title waits for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix on 8 November.

Starting fifth after winning nine of the 18 races before Mexico, Antonelli is in a strong spot. But Mexico City is a high-altitude track where the thin air is hard on cooling and brakes. Only a bad result, such as a retirement, keeps the fight alive.

Hamilton and Russell are fighting for second place too

Behind Antonelli, second place in the championship is wide open. Russell leads Hamilton by one point, and both start on the front row. Verstappen is 236 and Leclerc 233, so nine points cover the four drivers fighting for the runner-up spot.

So the first corner matters twice. Hamilton and Russell want the win for themselves, and Russell also wants to stop his own teammate's title party for one more week. That makes the long run from the grid to Turn 1 the moment to watch.

The rest of the grid starts with Hulkenberg in 11th

Nico Hulkenberg was the fastest driver knocked out in Q2 and starts 11th for Audi. The two Cadillac cars of Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas fill the back row in 21st and 22nd.

This is the grid as qualifying finished. Grid penalties for engine parts or rule breaches can still move drivers before the start, and Formula 1 publishes a separate starting grid if that happens.

If the title is not settled tonight, the next chance is the Sao Paulo race, which starts at 10 pm PKT on Sunday 8 November. Every remaining session is on our F1 schedule in Pakistan time.

Common questions

Who is on pole for the Mexico Grand Prix 2026?

Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari is on pole with 1:16.514. George Russell of Mercedes starts second, 0.009 seconds behind, and Charles Leclerc third.

What time is the Mexico Grand Prix in Pakistan?

The race starts at 1:00 am PKT on Monday 2 November 2026, which is 2:00 pm on Sunday in Mexico City.

Can Antonelli win the title in Mexico?

Yes. By our sums from Formula 1's standings, eighth place or better makes Kimi Antonelli champion tonight whatever his rivals do.

Where does Antonelli start in Mexico?

He starts fifth, with Verstappen fourth just ahead of him and Norris sixth just behind.

Where did Oscar Piastri qualify?

Piastri was knocked out in Q2 and starts 13th, seven places behind his McLaren teammate Lando Norris.

When is the next F1 race after Mexico?

The Sao Paulo Grand Prix in Brazil, on Sunday 8 November 2026 at 10 pm PKT.

How we verified this

What we checked, where we read it, and what we could not confirm.

We read the qualifying classification on Formula 1's Mexico qualifying results page and the points on Formula 1's 2026 drivers' standings on 1 November 2026, at about 5:30 am PKT. The race time is from the race page's own schedule, 20:00 GMT, which we converted to Pakistan time. The title scenarios are our own arithmetic on the standard 25 to 1 points scale with four races left after Mexico, and we treat a lead of exactly 100 points as not yet settled. We could not confirm a licensed Formula 1 broadcaster for Pakistan, and we did not see any grid penalty notice at the time of checking.