Veteran driver Lewis Hamilton has finally broken a three-year pole position drought after delivering a stunning performance in qualifying at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. The seven-time world champion claimed his first grand prix pole for Scuderia Ferrari after edging out his former Mercedes teammate, George Russell, by a razor-thin margin of just 0.009 seconds.
This remarkable achievement extends his all-time F1 record to 105 career poles, marking the first time he has topped a qualifying session since the 2023 Hungarian Grand Prix. Following this historic milestone, the 41-year-old Briton made a candid admission regarding the struggles he has faced over a single lap in recent years, particularly since adapting to the technical demands of modern rubber.
"I knew all weekend that I had the pace to be on pole, but these sessions were just up and down, and obviously Charles was very, very quick," Hamilton said. "I think the key is getting the tyres working. You see us all go out, and looks like we're doing okay, but the tyres operate in a very small window where they're good and then they overheat."
The Ferrari star explained that perfecting tyre preparation in contemporary Formula 1 feels akin to finding a needle in a haystack, especially following the switch to 18-inch wheels. He noted that the low-profile tyres require a completely different driving style, cornering approach, and balance management compared to the more forgiving 13-inch era of the past.
"Really perfecting that, that's been something I've really struggled with, I would say, over probably the last few years, particularly as we went to the 18-inch tyre. So just learning to drive differently. It's a bit of a different skill set, just a different way you have to drive and approach these corners, and it requires a different type of balance usage," he added.
Hamilton revealed that he utilized several setup tools he had not touched in 13 years to get the tyres into their ideal operating window during his out-lap. Once through the opening complex of corners, he experienced a clean run without losing time. Having successfully mastered the delicate seesaw effect between front and rear tyre temperatures, Hamilton enters the main race with supreme confidence.
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