Hamilton shrugged off a power unit glitch in Friday practice and declared Ferrari a legitimate pole contender in Mexico City, even after losing three tenths to the problem. His teammate Charles Leclerc topped both sessions, and Hamilton insists the underlying pace is there despite missing his high-fuel long run when the issue struck. He pushed back on the paddock narrative that Ferrari's smaller turbo would dominate in the thin air at 7,300 feet—Mercedes and Red Bull are still faster on the straights, he said, costing Ferrari two to three tenths per lap. But the car is handling well, and if rivals don't find their usual qualifying step, Hamilton thinks a front-row lockout is in play. The catch: he'll have to guess on wing levels and brake settings for Sunday without long-run data. Ferrari trails Mercedes by 133 points in the constructors' standings, so Saturday's pace will clarify whether this is genuine speed or altitude hype.
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