F1 Mexico GP: Lando Norris takes championship lead with dominant win

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Lando Norris romped to a dominant Mexico Grand Prix win to take the Method 1 world championship lead from McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri by one level.

Norris simply drove away from the remainder of the sector in his dominant McLaren, with Charles Leclerc second and Max Verstappen taking the ultimate spot on the rostrum.

Norris was provided an opportunity to overturn his 14-point deficit on Piastri by taking his fifth pole of the marketing campaign, whereas Piastri solely began seventh.

Regardless of the long term as automobiles barrelled all the way down to Flip 1, Norris managed to maintain his lead, whereas the primary battle befell behind the poleman.

Ferrari’s Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton went aspect by aspect, earlier than fifth-starting Verstappen made it three-wide on the skin. The Crimson Bull driver, who was the one frontrunner to begin on mediums as an alternative of softs, ran out of room and went onto the grass within the runoff space.

Leclerc additionally went off to chop Flip 2 and take the lead, however properly handed the place again to Norris. Hamilton snatched third again from Verstappen.

On lap 6 Verstappen divebombed Hamilton into Flip 1, resulting in a glancing blow between the pair, with Verstappen going via the Flip 2 grass. Their melee which continued into Flip 4, the place Hamilton locked up and went large, whereas Verstappen was picked off by opportunistic Haas rookie Oliver Bearman, who had made a rocket begin from ninth.

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, Lando Norris, McLaren, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Picture by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Photos through Getty Photos

Within the battle Russell misplaced out and dropped to seventh behind team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli, whereas Piastri was briefly handed by the second Crimson Bull of Yuki Tsunoda earlier than reclaiming seventh.

Hamilton would pay a giant worth for going off at Flip 4, with the stewards deeming the Briton had gained an unfair benefit, slapping him with a 10-second penalty. Taking his penalty on the first spherical of pitstops round lap 24, Hamilton dropped to the again of the battle he was in.

On the entrance Norris comfortably drove away from Leclerc, who himself was beneath no risk for second till the ultimate levels of the race.

On his alternate technique Verstappen prolonged his stint on mediums, initially dropping behind the remainder of the for 5 contenders.

That unleashed Bearman into an unlikely podium place, defending from Antonelli, Russell and Piastri.

Russell was incensed at being caught between his team-mate and a charging Piastri, but nonetheless being requested to take care of his tyres. After an extended back-and-forth, the Briton ultimately received his want to swap positions in his chase after Bearman.

However that midfield battle acquired one other twist when Piastri, who was additionally caught behind the Bearman prepare, determined to transform to a two-stop technique with one other cease for softs. Bearman and the Mercedes automobiles all responded, with Piastri making the undercut work on Antonelli to take sixth, nonetheless forward of Bearman and Russell.

Oscar Piastri, McLaren, Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Group

Picture by: Zak Mauger / LAT Photos through Getty Photos

That two-stop for his rivals labored out brilliantly for Verstappen, who stayed out and abruptly re-emerged in third place behind Norris and Leclerc. Regardless of being on older softs Verstappen comfortably defended a 14-second hole to Bearman and as an alternative set his sights on Leclerc, who was going to the tip on slower medium tyres.

Verstappen duly caught Leclerc with two laps to go, however a digital security automotive for a stricken Williams of Carlos Sainz froze the positions. By the point the VSC was withdrawn on the ultimate lap, Verstappen had run out of doable overtaking spots.

Norris took his sixth win of the season, taking the victory by 30 seconds over Leclerc and Verstappen, and grabbed the lead within the championship for the primary time in six months.

Behind Leclerc and Verstappen, Bearman took a career-best lead to fourth after a scintillating efficiency within the Haas.

Piastri had additionally handed the opposite Mercedes of Russell for fifth, with a transfer down the within of Flip 1 on lap 60. That led to Mercedes undoing its place swap, permitting Antonelli to take sixth forward of his extra skilled team-mate.

Hamilton completed a distant eighth after his penalty knocked him out of competition, whereas Esteban Ocon accomplished a dream day for Haas in ninth and Gabriel Bortoleto took the ultimate level for Sauber in tenth.

The race noticed three retirements, with Fernando Alonso’s rotten 2025 luck persevering with resulting from a suspected brake situation. Liam Lawson was compelled to retire after contact on the opening lap, whereas Nico Hulkenberg suffered an influence situation.

Norris now heads to the ultimate 4 races with a single level forward of Piastri, with Verstappen now 36 factors off the highest of the desk.