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Formula OneFormula One has a new championship leader for the first time since April after Lando Norris stormed to a dominant Mexico City GP victory. The Briton now sits one point ahead of title rival and teammate Oscar Piastri, who struggled all weekend in the Mexican capital. Norris' eventual 30-second lead over P2 might suggest this race was dull, but that couldn't be further from the truth with four-wide fights, split strategies, and brave overtakes throughout.
Norris began from pole after recording one of his best-yet Qualifying laps to return to the front for the first time since Belgium in July. The McLaren man might've felt under threat at being the lead car on the long run to the first braking zone, but he got away well to retain P1. An all-star trio of Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, and Max Verstappen were chasing Norris down to Turn 1, and the four cars were alongside each other when they hit the brakes.
Intelligent positioning from Norris had him covering the inside line, and he apexed the right-hander unopposed. His defence left Hamilton and Leclerc millimetres apart, and Verstappen on the kerbs. While Hamilton slotted in behind Norris, Leclerc and Verstappen cut across the grass to avoid contact. Their corner-cutting moves saved them from damage, but had Leclerc sitting ahead of the pack and Verstappen slotting in in front of Hamilton. Both seemed to feather the throttle to let Norris and Hamilton through, respectively. Still, George Russell asked questions about the legitimacy of their driving decisions.
Interestingly, Red Bull went against the prevailing Soft tyre strategy and equipped Verstappen with Medium Pirellis. Despite this compound delta, he kept on the tail of Hamilton in the opening laps, and the two old rivals went wheel to wheel at the front once again. A snap of oversteer at Turn 1 had close contact and Hamilton on the runoff, with the favour returned into Turn 2 as Verstappen again took to the grass. The subsequent DRS run to Turn 4 also involved Russell, who had closed in on Hamilton, as the Ferrari locked its front left tyre. Hamilton cut across the grass this time to leave Verstappen battling his compatriot behind.
Unfortunately for Hamilton, the Verstappen fight left him sandwiched between Russell and, surprisingly, Ollie Bearman. The Haas driver took full advantage, sweeping around the outside of the Red Bull at Turn 7 to snatch P4. With Verstappen falling back, Hamilton could not let the reigning champion close back in, and the stewards promptly handed a 10-second penalty his way for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. With Andrea Kimi Antonelli also sneaking past Russell, the squabbling had very much upset the order at the top.
The race somewhat settled down from there as lift-and-coast driving and tyre management became a concern at this high-altitude circuit where engine cooling is problematic. Hamilton was the first to stop, serving his time penalty as he dropped down the order, promoting Bearman to a podium position. Others soon followed suit, but high tyre degradation forced many to a two-stopper; Verstappen, however, stretched his Pirelli Mediums past the halfway point, essentially committing to stopping once.
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Red Bull's gamble looked as though it might not come off, but the lighter car and Soft tyres worked well for Verstappen, whose late-race pace was only matched by Norris' in the lead. Rejoining in P8, Verstappen had the crowds part ahead of him as his rivals couldn't make their Mediums work and needed to stop again. Key among the yellow-ringed Pirelli runners were Antonelli, Russell, and Piastri, all fighting for P4. Arguably in reverse-speed order, Russell had to fight his case for team orders to get by his rookie teammate to have a chance at the podium. A pass on Hamilton was all Verstappen needed to do as everyone else stopped. It was a much simpler DRS overtake this time, down the main straight and through, with no grass-cutting required.
Those cars between Verstappen's P7 and a podium place all needed to go for a second trip to the pit lane, and even that provided drama in this high-octane Sunday. Antonelli, now the driver ahead of Piastri, stopped alongside the McLaren man. A fast stop from the 2025 constructors' champions had them swap their Australian to Pirelli's Soft tyre quicker than Mercedes could with Antonelli to advance Piastri up to P6. With Bearman and Russell stopping one lap later, Verstappen had reached P3 behind Leclerc and was quickly closing in on the Ferrari.
The fighting further back wasn't complete, though. Piastri's recovery drive had reached the rear wing of Russell's Mercedes after his team's quick stop had him past the sister Silver Arrows machine. A last-second jink to the inside at Turn 1 was all he needed to do after piling on the pressure for several laps, and P5 was his. That left Russell with double pain, having earlier told his team he'd give Antonelli the position back if he couldn't reach the podium spot. He promptly let Antonelli pass, dropping from P5 to P7 in only a few laps after once dreaming of silverware.
This Mexico City GP was ready to boil over into a grandstand finish as Verstappen continually closed in on Leclerc, and Piastri inched closer to Bearman. Each fight had only six-tenths separating the cars on the penultimate lap, but a Virtual Safety Car killed the tension. Carlos Sainz pulled over in the stadium section, retiring from the race. Despite the Spaniard's best efforts to pull off the circuit, marshals needed to enter the track, necessitating the VSC to end the race under slow conditions.
With both Verstappen and Piastri possibly set to secure extra points, the VSC could have consequences in the title fight if the championship remains as tight as it is today. One point separates the top two with just four rounds remaining, and Verstappen continues to be the wildcard behind. It's shaping up to be an incredible final month for Formula One, with the racing resuming in a fortnight in Brazil for the São Paulo GP.
