Upon his arrival at the Mexico City Grand Prix, British driver Lewis Hamilton claimed there has never been a driver like him in the history of motorsport.

Perhaps his assertion is not entirely off the mark.

The seven-time world champion Hamilton rebounded from a wretched Friday practice to capture pole position on Saturday. 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 setup in the weekend. It feels special for me in Mexico, my first pole for Ferrari here."

He has extended his own record for Formula 1 pole positions to 105.

"Wow, to have pole here, I mean, I don't even know if I've had a pole here before,"said Hamilton, who had pole position in Mexico in 2016. "It feels special to be in Mexico and get that. My first, I think this is my first pole with Ferrari. And 105... I like that number."

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.

"When there's a will, there's a way, I think it's all in the mind. For sure, you might feel aches and pains but I do all those different things that you can do to try and keep yourself young and fit," Hamilton said. "But I love what I do. And that love is not gone. I wake up every day thinking about it. I dream about it."

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 position since Carlos Sainz in Mexico in 2024.

On Friday during the second practice, he suffered a loss of power that forced him to retire.

"Embarking on this journey with Ferrari, and all the challenges and ups and downs we've had. Even yesterday was challenging, when the car stopped on track and we lost the long runs that everyone got to do." Hamilton said. "I didn't get to do a long run. But we've really done a good job with the set-up over the weekend."

Kimi Antonelli could become the youngest world champion in F1 history. He qualified fifth, demonstrating his car's setup was optimal.

The 20-year-old Italian, who missed Thursday's media session because of a viral infection, said he was still recovering but hoped to be at his best for what could be a special Sunday.

"I'm going to bombard myself with melatonin, so I hope I can sleep about 10 hours, with any luck," said Antonelli, who will start fourth after Red Bull's Max Verstappen received a one-place grid penalty Saturday for an incident involving Liam Lawson.

"It's a new one, that penalty, but yeah, we'll keep inventing new ones, I guess," Verstappen said.

Antonelli, who won the United States Grand Prix last week from pole, can finish as low as ninth on Sunday at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez 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 driver to win the title since Alberto Ascari in 1953. while Mercedes can clinch the constructors' title on Sunday for the first time since 2021.

Alonso's Mexico curse

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 meters 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, as he has failed to finish the last four races.

No home comforts for Pérez

Cadillac driver Sergio Pérez will mark his 300th Formula 1 Grand Prix on home soil, but if he wants to give his millions of fans something to cheer about, he will have an uphill battle ahead of him.

Pérez was eliminated in the first qualifying session (Q1) and will start from the second-to-last position on the grid, ahead only of his teammate, Valtteri Bottas.

Earlier this week, the 36-year-old driver signed a contract extension that will keep him with Cadillac through 2029.