Hamilton reflects on Schumacher memories after Ferrari pole in Mexico

 Dubai: Lewis Hamilton was reminded of Michael Schumacher's dominant era at Ferrari after securing his first pole position for the Italian outfit at the Mexico City Grand Prix on Saturday.

The seven-time Formula One world champion delivered a memorable qualifying performance at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, claiming his first Grand Prix pole since July 2023 and his first since joining Ferrari from Mercedes, excluding two sprint race poles.

It marked the 105th pole position of Hamilton's career, extending his all-time record. At 41, the Briton also became the oldest driver to secure a Grand Prix pole since Mario Andretti achieved the feat aged 42 at Monza in 1982.

The milestone brought back memories of fellow seven-time champion Schumacher, who claimed five consecutive world titles with Ferrari between 2000 and 2004. The German secured his first pole for the Scuderia at the 1996 San Marino Grand Prix before eventually retiring from Formula One with Mercedes in 2012.

"It feels great to be able to reward them with a pole. And to have your first Ferrari pole, I mean, it just takes me back to watching Michael get all those pole positions when he was at Ferrari and all those wins. So, it's very, very special," said Hamilton.

Hamilton, who made history earlier this season by winning the Spanish Grand Prix to become Formula One's oldest race winner since Australian Jack Brabham in 1970, believes his passion for racing remains as strong as ever despite his age.

"I ice bath a lot. I do all those different things that you can do to try and keep yourself young and fit. Yeah, but I love what I do, and that love has not gone," he said.

"I wake up every day thinking about it. I dream about it. And I've got this amazing support around the world. These guys keep me going, and so I hope they're happy with that today, and I hope that I can deliver for them tomorrow."

Meanwhile, Mercedes youngster Kimi Antonelli could make history on Sunday by becoming the youngest Formula One world champion at just 20 years old.

The Italian will line up fourth on the grid and needs only a top-nine finish to secure the championship. He could even claim the title without finishing inside those positions if neither Hamilton nor Mercedes teammate George Russell wins the race.

Hamilton trails Antonelli by 124 points, with only 100 available after the Mexican Grand Prix, while Russell sits 123 points behind the championship leader.

Antonelli, who took Hamilton's seat at Mercedes, has impressed the British driver with his rapid rise through the sport.

Hamilton reflected on seeing the Italian as a youngster standing at the back of the Mercedes garage and expressed his admiration for what he has achieved.

"I think it's really, really great to see. And also, records are there to be broken, you know," said Hamilton.

"He's just got such a bright future ahead of him. So, I'm grateful that I can be racing in the time to see it, to witness it. I do hope in the future we get to have some actual battles because we didn't get to have any battles this year."