Lando Norris delivered a commanding victory at the Mexico City Grand Prix, snatching the championship lead from Oscar Piastri by a mere single point. Autoweek highlights the key moments from the action-packed race at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
Norris takes back title lead
For Lando Norris, the race unfolded exactly as he hoped. Demonstrating blistering pace during practice and starting from pole, all he had to do was avoid early chaos on the long dash to Turn 1.
Lewis Hamilton threatened briefly, and Charles Leclerc cut a corner to momentarily jump ahead, but once Norris reached the front, no one could match his speed. The Briton pulled away from the pack and executed a textbook one-stop strategy, ultimately finishing 30 seconds ahead of Leclerc. As Piastri faced challenges, Norris’ form peaked at precisely the right moment.
“I could just keep my eyes focused, I could just keep eyes forward and just focus on what I was doing,” Norris said. “It was a pretty straightforward race for me, which is just what I was after. Good start, good launch, good first lap, and I could go from there. This is awesome here… this is unbelievable. My first win here in Mexico, a beautiful one to win.”
After trailing Piastri by 34 points following a power unit failure at the Dutch GP in Zandvoort, Norris now sits atop the standings once again. He insisted his approach remains unchanged.
“It’s one race at a time,” Norris said. “I’m happy, keeping my focus on myself, staying grounded. Things are working right now, so I’m content.”
Excellent Verstappen stays in the hunt
Max Verstappen didn’t have the fastest car in Mexico, ran a different strategy, and was hampered by a late Virtual Safety Car, yet he emerged closer to the championship lead.
Early on, Verstappen tangled with Hamilton, who was later penalized, leaving Verstappen fifth. His position improved to fourth when Hamilton pitted, and then to third after Oliver Bearman’s stop. Verstappen ran an unconventional one-stop strategy on medium then soft tires, unlike the soft/medium approach of others or the two-stop plan favored by much of the chasing pack.
He managed the later stages on medium tires before showing strong pace on softs but was prevented from challenging Leclerc for second due to the late Virtual Safety Car caused by Carlos Sainz’s stricken Williams.
“So yeah, I think overall to be P3 has been really good and for us a difficult weekend.”
“I mean personally I didn’t expect to be on the podium and I think even in the first stint it was not really looking like it,” Verstappen said. “I mean at the time I thought we were just slow and struggling on tires. I do think that of course when we swapped to the soft and the others were mediums, it all looked a bit more competitive. I think I mean still not to the level of Lando if you take the average of the race, but the soft definitely was a better compound to race on and it all felt a bit better. So yeah, I think overall to be P3 has been really good and for us a difficult weekend.”
Verstappen now trails new leader Norris by 36 points, keeping his pursuit of a fifth consecutive championship very much alive.
Piastri trying to understand recent struggles
For the first time since April, after 15 races leading the championship, Oscar Piastri has ceded the top spot. Recovering from a shaky opening lap in Mexico, he finished fifth, a subdued result compared to Norris’ commanding performance.
“It’s been a learning experience,” Piastri admitted. “The past few weekends have required a different driving style. What worked well for me over 19 races needed adjusting, and figuring out why has been challenging. Today was about experimenting with those adjustments, even if it doesn’t feel natural yet.”
McLaren chief Andrea Stella noted that Piastri thrives on high-grip tracks, where his talent shines, and is still calibrating on lower-grip circuits like the high-altitude Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
“Oscar, every session, is learning a little bit as to what you need to do, what you need to feel to say, I’m fast now, in these specific conditions,” Stella said on Saturday. “I think it’s more a calibration exercise for Oscar.”
Irate Lawson demands explainer after marshal incident
Liam Lawson was furious after nearly hitting two track marshals during the opening laps of the Mexico City Grand Prix.
After tangling with Carlos Sainz at the start, leaving debris on track, Lawson pitted at the end of the first lap and fell behind the pack. When he approached Turn 1, two marshals were on the circuit. He reacted quickly to avoid a crash but immediately radioed Racing Bulls, exclaiming, “Oh my god… I could have killed them.”
Lawson’s car was retired shortly after, and he demanded answers post-race.
“I couldn’t believe what I saw,” he said. “I pitted, came out on new hard tires, and at Turn 1 there were two people on track. It was extremely dangerous, something I’ve never experienced before. There’s been a miscommunication somewhere, but this shouldn’t happen on a live track. We need an explanation—it can’t happen again.”
The FIA confirmed an investigation is underway.
“After a Turn 1 incident, Race Control was informed of debris at the apex,” read the statement. “Marshals were placed on standby to remove it once cars passed. After Lawson pitted, the instructions were rescinded, and a double yellow flag was shown. We are still investigating events after that point.”
Overall, Mexico City was a weekend of contrasting fortunes—Norris hitting his stride, Verstappen keeping close, Piastri recalibrating, and Lawson confronting serious safety concerns—highlighting the intensity and unpredictability of Formula 1 racing.
