MEXICO CITY — There’s a new leader in the battle for the Formula 1 world driving championship.
McLaren driver Lando Norris posted a start-to-finish victory in the Mexico City Grand Prix at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
Norris had made a good launch when the event got underway amid a frenetic start that saw four cars vie for the lead into the first corner, with some going wide along the way. But the Briton held his position and quickly built a lead at the front which proved to be unchallenged as the Grand Prix progressed, eventually crossing the line a whopping 30.324 seconds ahead of Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc.
“What a race,” Norris said. “I could just keep my eyes focused, I could just keep eyes forward and just focus on what I was doing.
“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.”
A thrilling finale to the race saw Verstappen chase down Leclerc for second place, yet it was the Ferrari that held on for second with a margin of just 0.725 seconds, forcing the Red Bull man to settle for third.
Behind them, an impressive outing for Ollie Bearman saw the Haas racer face increasing pressure from McLaren’s Oscar Piastri down to the wire, but the Briton ultimately took a career-best fourth. Piastri’s fifth, meanwhile, means that the Australian loses the championship lead to his teammate – albeit only by one point.
Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli claimed sixth ahead of the other Silver Arrows car of George Russell, with Lewis Hamilton following in eighth for Ferrari on a day where the seven-time World Champion received a 10-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage in a battle with Verstappen.
Esteban Ocon added to Haas’ points haul in ninth, while Kick Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto took the final point on offer in 10th.
“It’s one weekend at a time,” Norris said. “I’m happy, I’m focused on myself, I keep my head down, I ignore all of this [noise] and I keep to myself. It’s working at the minute, so I’m happy.”
