Lando Norris shrugged off boos from the Mexican crowd following his commanding victory in Mexico City, which propelled him into the Formula 1 championship lead for the first time in 189 days. The British driver delivered a dominant performance, finishing a staggering 38.5 seconds ahead of second-placed Charles Leclerc. This win moved Norris one point ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri, who previously held a 14-point advantage.
Despite being booed during qualifying, the pre-race parade, and on the podium, Norris remained unfazed. “I don’t know why, to be honest. People can do what they want – that’s sport sometimes. I can’t stop laughing when I get booed,” he said. “Of course, I’d prefer people cheer for me, but I just focus on doing my own thing.”
A local journalist suggested Mexican fans believed McLaren aided Norris in the title battle, referencing a controversial moment at Monza where Piastri was ordered to let Norris pass after a slow pit stop. Norris responded calmly: “For us as a team, we try to be fair. Last year in Budapest, I let Oscar win the race he deserved. If they want to take those points back, they can. Oscar deserved Budapest, I deserved Monza.”
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Norris’s win came after a tense start on one of F1’s longest runs to turn one, where he battled four-wide with Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, and Max Verstappen. He executed a flawless one-stop strategy, claiming his 10th F1 win and sixth of the season.
Meanwhile, Piastri struggled throughout the weekend and finished fifth, marking his fifth race in a row without a podium. After leading the championship since round five in Saudi Arabia and commanding a 34-point lead over Norris, plus a 104-point cushion over Verstappen, the Australian recognizes the need for improvement. “I have to find some more pace and win some more races,” he admitted. “The last couple of weekends required a very different approach.”
Max Verstappen faced a difficult weekend, losing ground early to Haas driver Ollie Bearman after a fierce battle with Hamilton. A late charge on soft tires lifted him to third place, though a virtual safety car on the penultimate lap dashed hopes of further advancement. “I didn’t expect a podium this weekend, so P3 is really good for us given the difficulties,” he said.
Bearman earned a career-best fourth place finish, while George Russell and Hamilton secured seventh and eighth, respectively.
With 116 points still available, Norris is focused on maintaining his momentum. “This has been my best performance across a whole weekend. There’s a long way to go, so I just have to keep doing what I’m doing.”