F1 qualifying ahead of the 2026 Mexican Grand Prix is now underway, with Lewis Hamilton leading the way after Q1.

Hamilton finished Q1 just 0.044 seconds ahead of Red Bull star Isack Hadjar, with Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc 0.165 seconds adrift at this early stage.

As is always the case, Q1 saw six drivers eliminated from the session, with the F1 qualifying field now cut down to 16 drivers ahead of Q2, where six more will be eliminated.

One of those drivers was Aston Martin star Fernando Alonso, who was forced to park up his car after just nine minutes of the session, bringing out the first red flag of the weekend. Aston Martin have confirmed he suffered a suspected water pressure issue linked to the ERS system in his Honda power unit.

Elsewhere, Ryo Hirakawa, a late replacement for Esteban Ocon this weekend, was also among the drivers eliminated.

F1 2026 Mexican Grand Prix Qualifying results

Here are all of the confirmed results from Mexico City so far:

• 1. TBC
• 2. TBC
• 3. TBC
• 4. TBC
• 5. TBC
• 6. TBC
• 7. TBC
• 8. TBC
• 9. TBC
• 10. TBC
• 11. TBC
• 12. TBC
• 13. TBC
• 14. TBC
• 15. TBC
• 16. TBC
• 17. Alex Albon [Williams] - ELIMINATED IN Q1
• 18. Fernando Alonso [Aston Martin] - ELIMINATED IN Q1
• 19. Ryo Hirakawa [Haas] - ELIMINATED IN Q1
• 20. Lance Stroll [Aston Martin] - ELIMINATED IN Q1
• 21. Sergio Perez [Cadillac] - ELIMINATED IN Q1
• 22. Valtteri Bottas [Cadillac] - ELIMINATED IN Q1

How does F1 Qualifying work in 2026?

There are a couple of changes to the way qualifying works this year, though not quite as sweeping as the new technical regulations most drivers and fans hate so much.

Firstly, we now have 22 cars on the grid, so instead of five cars exiting after Q1 and Q2, we will have six being eliminated. That still leaves 10 for the pole shootout in Q3.

The other notable change lies in the timings - Q3 now gets an extra minute and lasts for 13 rather than 12.