Lando Norris Dominates Mexico City Grand Prix to Take Championship Lead

Lando Norris produced a flawless performance at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez to claim a dominant victory at the Mexico City Grand Prix, his fourth win of the season, and move into the lead of the Formula 1 World Championship by a single point.

Starting from pole for the first time since July, the McLaren driver executed a perfect launch and controlled the race from start to finish, crossing the line well clear of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen after 71 laps of high drama and soaring temperatures.

«It was one of those days where everything just clicked,» Norris said over the radio after taking the chequered flag. «Massive thanks to the team. The car was unbelievable.»

The victory came after a chaotic start that saw multiple cars cutting the first corner and early contact between Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen, for which the Mercedes driver was later handed a ten-second time penalty. Hamilton’s race unravelled from there, eventually finishing eighth after serving the sanction in the pits.

Early chaos and a steady hand up front

At lights out, Norris made a clean getaway as Leclerc and Hamilton fought behind him. Verstappen, starting fifth on the medium tyres, ran wide onto the grass but recovered to stay in the top five. Behind the leaders, several cars tangled in the midfield, with Liam Lawson retiring early after front-wing damage.

By lap ten, Norris had built a three-second cushion over Leclerc and began to manage his pace in the searing 52-degree track heat. While others wrestled with tyre degradation, Norris’s McLaren handled the conditions superbly, allowing him to stretch his advantage to over ten seconds by the midpoint.

As the race unfolded, Ferrari’s Leclerc held a steady second, while young Haas driver Ollie Bearman continued to impress by running solidly in fourth ahead of Verstappen.

«Bearman is driving a phenomenal race,» one commentator noted, as the 20-year-old resisted pressure from far more experienced rivals.

Penalties, pit stops and strategy twists

Hamilton’s penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage proved costly, dropping him down the order and out of podium contention. Carlos Sainz, meanwhile, endured a torrid afternoon — first with a slow pit stop, then a drive-through penalty for repeated speeding in the pit lane, before retiring late on in the stadium section.

Pit strategy played a key role, with most front-runners opting for a one-stop soft-to-medium approach. McLaren timed Norris’s stop perfectly, allowing him to rejoin still comfortably ahead of Leclerc. Behind, teammate Oscar Piastri switched to a two-stop strategy, engaging in a late duel with Bearman for fourth.

Piastri’s bold move on George Russell for fifth on lap 60 was one of the highlights of the race, but he could not find a way past Bearman before the end. That proved crucial in the title battle, as the Australian ceded the Championship lead to his teammate by a single point.

Verstappen surges, but Leclerc holds firm

In the closing laps, Verstappen mounted a late charge on Leclerc, cutting a seven-second gap to less than two before the race was briefly neutralised under a Virtual Safety Car after Sainz’s stoppage. Although racing resumed for a final lap, Leclerc held on to second place by just over a second, denying Verstappen another runner-up finish.

Norris, meanwhile, cruised home to take maximum points — and with them, the Championship lead. His final margin of victory was a staggering 31 seconds, the largest of the season so far.

Final classification (top 10)

1. Lando Norris (McLaren)
2. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
3. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
4. Ollie Bearman (Haas)
5. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
6. Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
7. George Russell (Mercedes)
8. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
9. Esteban Ocon (Haas)
10. Gabriel Bortoleto (Kick Sauber)

With four rounds remaining, the Championship fight is finely poised — Norris now leads by one point from teammate Piastri, with Verstappen just behind.

The season continues next weekend at Interlagos, where Norris will look to defend his slender advantage in what is shaping up to be one of Formula 1’s closest title battles in years.

Kursiv also reports that last week, Max Verstappen delivered a masterclass at the Circuit of the Americas, taking a lights-to-flag victory at the 2025 United States Grand Prix.