Fraser MasefieldLando Norris secured a vital victory in the Mexican Grand Prix to overtake teammate and title rival Oscar Piastri and lead the F1 championship.
It was a flawless pole to flag victory for Norris, who led home Charles Leclerc and a flying Max Verstappen after a late virtual safety car put paid to a grandstand finish.
Oliver Bearman was a brilliant fourth ahead of Piastri, Kimi Antonelli George Russell as Lewis Hamilton, Esteban Ocon and Gabriel Bortoleto rounded out the top ten.
It all means Norris now leads the championship by a single point with only four races remaining. For Piastri, things seem to be unravelling at the business end of the season, the Australian now playing catch-up.
A well-deserved celebration for Lando! 👏✨#F1 #MexicoGP pic.twitter.com/FYI4Y9NZkG
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 26, 2025
“Good start, good launch, good first lap,” Norris told Sky Sports afterwards. “I got a much better launch than the guys around. Man, this is awesome, this is unbelievable. My first win in Mexico, a beautiful one to win especially here so a big thanks to all the fans.”
For Verstappen, a podium still puts him in the hunt. But things need to go his way in the remaining races.
“A very hectic beginning of the race for me. We had a very good start then of course a very long run into Turn 1,” commented Verstappen. “We were on the outside, three or four wide, then we were on the kerb and bottoming out all the way so almost crashed onto the grass.
“Even after that there was a lot going on. Everyone around me was on the soft tyres, I was on the medium so that was a bit of a struggle.
“It was all about surviving the first stint, trying to go as long as we could on the tyres. Once we bolted on the softs, I think we were a bit more competitive. It has been a difficult weekend for us, but to be fighting for P2 with everything that happened in the first few laps, I think it’s a very strong result.”
THE TALE OF THE RACE
Starting from pole position, Norris got off to the perfect start, maintaining the lead from the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc as chaos ensued behind, Verstappen running wide onto the grass before dicing with Hamilton and the fast-starting Bearman.
With the Dutchman and championship contender starting on the yellow banded medium tyres, it was no disaster. But it was for Piastri, the Aussie dropping down to ninth and stuck behind the second Red Bull of Yuki Tsunoda, another medium compound starter.
And a further blow was to come for Hamilton, hit with a ten second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.
For Norris and the cool comfort of clean air ahead of him, the only danger would appear to be a botched pit stop. And it did not come to pass, the lead McLaren pitting on lap 34 for a set of hard compound Pirellis.
“Beautiful weekend” 🧡
It was indeed an impressive weekend in Mexico City for Lando Norris! 👏#F1 #MexicoGP pic.twitter.com/096Ty6nb0x
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 26, 2025
When the field settled into a rhythm after those crucial first stops, Norris still held a decisive advantage that he would not relinquish. But the battle behind was still intriguing. Mercedes letting Russell past Antonelli and vice versa to pursue Bearman and Piastri.
It looked set for a grandstand finish but for that late virtual safety car a lap before the scheduled finish. It all means that Norris leads the championship by a single point heading to Brazil with Verstappen 36 points off the lead.
It’s time for the champagne, Lando style!! 🍾🤩#F1 #MexicoGP pic.twitter.com/bnbhc2wC4v
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 26, 2025
MEXICO GP SPECIAL – THE SCIENCE OF HELMET DESIGN
