Lando Norris Pips Oscar Piastri In Drivers' Championship With 'Beautiful' Mexico Win

Last Updated:October 27, 2025, 09:25 IST

Lando Norris claimed his first Mexico Grand Prix win, regaining the drivers' world championship lead for McLaren ahead of Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen in a thrilling race.

McLaren's Lando Norris (forward) and Oscar Piastri (behind) (AFP)

Lando Norris reclaimed the lead in the drivers’ world championship for the first time in six months on Sunday, steering his McLaren to a dominant victory in a thrilling Mexico Grand Prix.

Driving with remarkable authority, the 25-year-old Briton finished 30.324 seconds ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, with four-time champion Max Verstappen coming in third for Red Bull.

This victory marked Norris’ first win in Mexico, his sixth of the season, and the 10th of his career. His near-perfect race from pole position propelled him back to the top of the drivers’ title race by one point, a position he last held after the Saudi Arabian race in April.

With four races remaining, Norris leads with 357 points, followed by Piastri with 356 and Verstappen in third with 321.

“A beautiful win to celebrate here in this stadium in Mexico," Norris said.

“It’s one weekend at a time for me. I am happy and focused on myself. I keep my head down and stay relaxed, which helps. It helped me get a good start and that’s the best thing."

Leclerc, who earned his seventh podium of the season, said: “I am very happy with the weekend. We didn’t know what to expect here, so to get on the podium is a nice surprise."

For Verstappen, the race ended his impressive run of winning three of the last four races.

“It was very hectic at the start and I almost crashed out. To be fighting for P2 with all that happened – a strong race for me," he reflected.

Haas teenage rookie Oliver Bearman secured a career-best fourth place, ahead of Norris’ McLaren teammate and previous series leader Oscar Piastri, and Mercedes’ young rookie Kimi Antonelli.

Italian teammate George Russell finished seventh, ahead of seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton in the second Ferrari, Esteban Ocon in the second Haas, and Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto.

The packed stands at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez witnessed high-speed chaos at the start as the leaders powered down into the first corner.

Norris made a good start from his 14th career pole and was one of four cars abreast as they turned in. He maintained his lead as Leclerc, Hamilton, and Verstappen drew alongside him.

Leclerc battled Hamilton and ran off, while Verstappen, in an uncompromising mood, also ran off after attacking. He returned third but yielded the position back to Hamilton.

Russell lost a place to the Dutchman and insisted he was forced off, while Hamilton complained about the aggression in turn one.

“What are they doing about it?" he asked. The stewards penalised him with a 10-second penalty for his actions at the start.

Hamilton was aghast at his punishment, especially as Verstappen faced no penalties for his misdemeanours.

Norris stayed ahead of the two Ferraris on the grid while Verstappen lunged at every opportunity, bouncing off on lap six and making contact with Hamilton on lap seven.

Looking serene in the sunshine, Norris had a five-second lead by lap 15.

Behind him, the action was intense in the thin air at 2,200 metres altitude, but Norris remained unflustered as the chasing pack began to pit.

Norris pitted on lap 34 and rejoined the race with an eight-second lead, demonstrating his superiority.

In a frantic finale, Verstappen was third and chasing Leclerc, while Bearman resisted Piastri before a late VSC deployment to clear Carlos Sainz’s parked Williams paused the drama until the final lap.

News sports Lando Norris Pips Oscar Piastri In Drivers' Championship With 'Beautiful' Mexico Win

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