British pilot Lando Norris climbed atop the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship leader board with a convincing 30-second victory in front of approximately 150,000 fans at Mexico City’s Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez for Sunday’s Mexican GP.
Norris started in the pole position and held off challenges in the frenetic early stages of the race, fending off moves by four cars at the first turn. He stayed out in front, extended his lead and was unchallenged thereafter.
Norris finished in 1:37:58.574, well ahead of Ferrari’s Charles LeClerc and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, the winner of the last four Drivers’ Championships.
Norris joins a select list of winners at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez over the past decade, including Verstappen (five wins), Lewis Hamilton (two), Nico Rosberg and Carlos Sainz Jr.
With the 25 points earned for winning Sunday, Norris leapfrogged McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri in the drivers’ standings. He now has 357 points, one more than stablemate Piastri (who finished fifth), and well ahead of third-place Verstappen (321 points).
Verstappen nearly chased down LeClerc for second, but the Frenchman responded well to claim the silver by just 0.725 seconds. In his first full season as an F1 pilot, 20-year-old Ollie Bearman staved off a move by Piastri to cross the line in fourth place, a career-best finish.
The results further confirmed McLaren’s dominance this season. McLaren had already clinched its second consecutive Constructors Championship, and Sunday’s performance by Norris and Piastri steered McLaren to a whopping 357-point lead over Ferrari (713 to 356).
Verstappen tips cap to Checo Pérez
During the pre-race drivers parade, the Belgian-born Verstappen paid tribute to former teammate Checo Pérez, striking a conciliatory tone with the Mexican public when asked about his former partnership with the Guadalajara driver.
Verstappen expressed satisfaction that Pérez, 35, will return to F1 next year.
“He’ll be back next year; I’m really happy for Checo,” he said. “For now … I’m enjoying my time in Mexico. It’s always incredible to see how passionate the crowd is.”
Verstappen has had a testy relationship with Mexican fans in recent years as he and Pérez experienced friction while partnered at Red Bull.
As Red Bull’s No. 2, Pérez helped Verstappen win the Drivers Championship each year from 2021-2024. Red Bull also won the Constructors’ trophy in 2022 and 2023 as Pérez finished third in 2022 and second overall in 2023.
Last year was a difficult one for Pérez, who complained that the team prioritized Verstappen’s car at his expense, and the Mexican pilot was let go at the end of the season.
With reports from Anadolu Agency, Formula1.com, ESPN and SkySports
Source: Mexico News Daily
