Motor racing-Hamilton recalls Schumacher after first Ferrari pole, hails Antonelli

By Alan Baldwin

MEXICO CITY, Oct 31 (Reuters) – Lewis Hamilton recalled Ferrari’s glory years with Michael Schumacher as one seven-time Formula One world champion harked back to another on Saturday with his first pole position for the Italian team.

The achievement at Mexico City’s Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez was the Briton’s first pole since July 2023 and first, apart from in two sprint races, since his arrival at Maranello from Mercedes.

It was also a record-extending career 105th and made him, at 41, the oldest pole-sitter since Mario Andretti, then 42, at Monza in 1982.

Germany’s Schumacher, who retired at Mercedes in 2012 and won five titles with Ferrari from 2000 to 2004, had his first pole for Ferrari at the 1996 San Marino Grand Prix.  

“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.

The Briton, who won in Spain this year to become Formula One’s oldest winner since Australian Jack Brabham in 1970, suggested age was all in the mind.

“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.”

Sunday looks set to crown Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli as the youngest ever champion, at 20 years old. 

Antonelli starts fourth and needs only finish in the top nine to take the title, and not even that if Hamilton or Mercedes’ George Russell fails to win. Hamilton is 124 points behind with a maximum 100 to win after Mexico, and Russell is 123 off the lead.  

The Italian replaced Hamilton at Mercedes, and the Briton spoke warmly of his admiration for what the “little kid” he recalled standing at the back of the garage had 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.”

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin; Editing by William Mallard)

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