Lando Norris has ended a six-race streak without a pole position by delivering a commanding performance at the Mexican Grand Prix qualifying, leaving title contenders Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri in his dust. Norris secured pole with an impressive lap time of 1:15.586, outpacing Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by 0.262 seconds.
This pole position is a crucial boost for Norris’s championship aspirations, especially as Verstappen and Piastri struggled throughout qualifying, finishing fifth and eighth respectively. While Piastri initially qualified eighth, a grid penalty for Williams' Carlos Sainz means Piastri will start seventh. Despite this slight improvement, Piastri has been off the pace all weekend, falling nearly six-tenths behind Norris.
Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton put in a strong showing by qualifying third, raising hopes for his first podium finish with the Scuderia this season.
READ MORE: Bath Rugby Player Ratings: Dominant 40-15 Victory over Bristol Bears
READ MORE: Somerset Funeral Notices: Honouring 22 Cherished Lives
Coming into Mexico City, Verstappen was the form driver, having won three of the last four races. He aimed to continue his dominance at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, where he has a record five wins. Currently, Verstappen trails Piastri by 40 points in the championship standings, a dramatic improvement from a 104-point deficit five races ago. He is also 26 points behind second-place Norris, with 141 points still available in the season.
The Mexico City circuit features the longest run from pole position to turn one braking point on the calendar – an 830-meter dash that will test Norris’s getaway on race day. The track’s high altitude presents unique challenges, with low air density making it difficult to generate downforce and affecting car balance.
Verstappen struggled with car balance during the opening qualifying session, managing only ninth fastest, while rookie Isack Hadjar led the timesheets and Norris was fourth. Piastri, who was eliminated in Q1 at this venue last year, narrowly advanced to Q3 by a fraction of a second. Despite making it through, he showed no real threat to Norris’s pace and faces an uphill battle to protect his championship lead on Sunday.
Leclerc led early in Q3 before Norris’s stellar lap took provisional pole and potentially shifted the momentum in his title challenge.