Lewis Hamilton takes pole number 105 in stunning fashion at the Mexico City GP

Here's the thing about a man with 104 pole positions: you might expect him to take it in stride, but Lewis Hamilton was bouncing up and down with absolute joy at the end of Qualifying yesterday. It was a reaction straight out of the archives, reminiscent of how he celebrated his very first pole 20 seasons ago. Number 105 has been a long time coming for the champion, being his first with Ferrari and arriving three years and a team change after his last one with Mercedes.

Now, the racing gods have dealt us a fascinating Sunday afternoon. The good news for Hamilton in his hunt for victory is that practice running suggests overtaking is going to be remarkably difficult around here. The bad news? It is an awfully long way down to Turn 1, and he will have a pack of hungry, highly motivated rivals tucked right in his slipstream all the way to the braking zone.

Looking at the grid, the danger is entirely real. George Russell lines up right alongside him in P2, with Charles Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli locking down the second row behind them. Further back on row three, we find Max Verstappen and Lando Norris waiting to pounce. Every single one of them is a winner already this season, and aside from Antonelli having some reason to be a little more circumspect, the rest are here purely to add to their victory tallies.

To top it all off, the strategy is delicately poised between a one-stop and a two-stop race. That strategic uncertainty, combined with this grid, is going to make Sunday afternoon very interesting indeed.