¡Ándale! ¡Ándale! Now we find out whether Lando Norris has what it takes to be world champion. Now we find out what he is made of. The McLaren driver has been accused of all sorts over the past 12 months; lacking in mental strength, being too error-prone, being too nice.
Well, after this Speedy Gonzales performance in Mexico, the Briton is back in the lead of the drivers’ championship for the first time since Saudi Arabia in April and in pole position to win his maiden title.
Now we find out whether he has what it takes to stay there.
It is one thing winning when the spotlight is on someone else. Norris has been flying under the radar for a while now with all eyes on championship leader Oscar Piastri and the fast-charging Max Verstappen, who until this lively race in Mexico, had won three of the last four races to move to within 40pts of of the championship lead, convincing bookmakers to install him as the favourite.
God knows who the bookmakers fancy now. It is so tough to call.
But what a race this was. And what a controversial finish. A late virtual safety car (VSC), with two laps remaining, prevented Max Verstappen from passing Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari for second place, and in all probability prevented Piastri from challenging Haas’s Ollie Bearman for fourth place. Mind you, the 20-year-old Briton deserved his best ever grand prix result for a performance of unbelievable maturity. Bearman’s last few races have not gone unnoticed in the paddock.
But that VSC could yet have a a big part to play in this championship. It allowed Norris to take the lead of the drivers’ championship by 1pt from Piastri, with Verstappen now 36pts behind.
This was the most exciting Mexican race we have had in years.
Lewis Hamilton, chasing his first grand prix win as a Ferrari driver, had promised to be “racy” at the start from P3. “I don’t have anything to lose, but he does,” the seven-time world champion had noted, looking over at Norris in the press conference on Saturday night.
He was as good as his word. But then he was not the only one with that idea.
The start was frantic. Norris got away well and just about held off the cars behind him on the long run down to turn 1. But behind him it was all kicking off. Hamilton managed to get a run on his team mate Leclerc, who had started P2, pulling up alongside him into the first corner. But Verstappen, who started fifth on the medium compound, got an even better start and managed to draw level with both Ferraris, making it three abreast into Turn 1.
Both Leclerc and Verstappen ended up outbraking themselves, leaving the track, with Leclerc briefly taking the lead of the race and having to give the place back. Verstappen, who missed three corners, also had to give places back, slotting back in at P4, which annoyed George Russell, who described it as “ridiculous” that Verstappen was not punished further.
While Norris settled into a rhythm at the front, the action behind him was unrelenting.
On lap 6, Verstappen made a big lunge up the inside of Hamilton at turn 1, trying to take third place. Hamilton seemed surprised, turning into the Red Bull and touching wheels. The Ferrari driver then tried to take the place back into turn 4, only to lock up and go straight on. Hamilton would end up getting a 10-second penalty for gaining an unfair advantage. “That’s such bull---- man,” he complained to his engineer when he was told. “The grip is so low there.”
Verstappen, meanwhile, was suddenly vulnerable to Bearman, losing fourth place to the Briton. He ended up doing an “insane” one-stop, in the words of his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase, to reclaim third spot on strategy, before closing on Leclerc in the closing stages, only to be stymied by the VSC.
As for, Piastri, he fought back from a difficult start to pass both Mercedes cars and will be annoyed not to have had a crack at Bearman late on.
This was Norris’ sixth win of the year, and his first since Hungary before the summer break.
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko made comments earlier this year about Norris having “mental weaknesses”, which McLaren boss Zak Brown had rebuked. In Baku Norris was accused of missing out on a similar golden opportunity after Piastri crashed out and he was only able to finish seventh.
Norris knew there would be no hiding place if he failed to cash in this time. The race could not have been set up any better for him, starting on pole, with the fastest car, with a useful buffer between himself and Verstappen, and championship leader Piastri starting down in seventh and looking completely out of sorts.
And he took full advantage. Now he goes from hunter to hunted.
The next race...
Is the Sao Paulo Grand Prix from Interlagos. It’s a two-week break before that but here are the session timings.
Friday, November 7
FP1 – 2.30pm GMT
Sprint qualifying – 6.30pm
Saturday, November 8
Sprint race – 2pm
Qualifying – 6pm
Sunday, November 9
Race – 5pm
It’s then a fortnight gap before the triple-header finale of Las Vegas, Qatar and then Abu Dhabi.
10 grand prix wins for Norris now
That moves him level with Valtteri Bottas, Gerhard Berger, Jody Scheckter, Ronnie Peterson and James Hunt. Next up: Rubens Barrichello, Felipe Massa and Jacques Villeneuve.
Norris’s winning margin, visualised...
Big.
Updated constructor standings
Ferrari back into second after that.
Haas jump Sauber after 14 points scored in that race versus one.
Updated driver standings
Norris leads Piastri by a single point with Verstappen 36 behind. It has closed up.
Norris booed again...
... during his press conference in the stadium section. Not sure why or what that is all about. It happened after he took pole.
Verstappen on third
Leclerc on his second
Norris reacts to his win
Would Verstappen have taken second without the VSC?
He certainly would have had a decent chance on the final lap into turn one.
Mexico City GP - Top 10
- NOR 25pts
- LEC 18pts
- VER 15pts
- BEA 12pts
- PIA 10pts
- ANT 8pts
- RUS 6pts
- HAM 4pts
- OCO 2pts
- BOR 1pt
🏁 LANDO NORRIS WINS THE MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX
Utterly emphatic, what more can you say about that? Wins by 30 seconds after taking a dominant pole. He is now the new championship leader.
Leclerc holds onto second, Verstappen third. Then it’s Bearman in fourth, Piastri fifth, Antonelli sixth.
FINAL LAP
That VSC has ruined any chance of Verstappen getting second. I cannot see where Sainz’s Williams actually is on track. Is it even in the way? It has helped Bearman too, but the chances of an overtake have gone now.
The VSC is ending now... but will there be a chance for Verstappen and Piastri to make a move? I am not sure. It would take a Leclerc mistake... but we do not get it.
Lap 70 of 71 - Verstappen has a little look at turn one
Not enough to think about a move, though... this could come down to the final lap. He is so close as they enter the sweepers but we now see a VSC because of Sainz’s stricken Williams. That could well be the end of the racing in this race.
Lap 69 of 71 - Verstappen within DRS range of Leclerc now
On the pit straight at the start of the lap... I think... Piastri also gets DRS on Bearman. Two Alpine backmarkers ahead in the way.
Verstappen hustling in the middle sector is now out of DRS range.
🟨Yellow flags... Sainz has stopped on track somewhere in the final sector.
Lap 68 of 71 - Verstappen will be within DRS range very soon
Very soon indeed. Norris, meanwhile, is about to stretch his lead to 30 seconds. Bearman, though, is coming under pressure from Piastri. 0.8sec the gap now. The other Haas of Esteban Ocon is doing a decent job down in ninth.
Lap 67 of 71 - Verstappen within 1.8sec of Leclerc now
What a stint this has been. It’s good news for the three-way championship that he doesn’t lose too much ground to Norris.
Lap 66 of 71 - Bearman 1.4sec ahead of Piastri
Is Piastri saving his battery for a final charge? Fourth would be a major result for the Australian from where he was earlier in the race.
Lap 65 of 71 - 2.5sec the gap now between LEC and VER
Norris is dealing with some backmarkers but is so far ahead.
Lap 64 of 71 - Leclerc 3.3sec ahead of Verstappen
What kind of defence will he have against the charging Red Bull when he gets there? May as well try to make it as hard for him as possible. He is the one fighting for a championship.
Lap 63 of 71 - Bearman’s pace is decent
A little faster than Piastri but then loses three tenths to lead Piastri by 2.7sec. Russell does indeed hand the position back so it’s Antonelli sixth and Russell seventh.
Lap 62 of 71 - Antonelli wants the place back from Russell
Russell did say he would swap back...
Anyway, the gap from Verstappen to Leclerc is now 4.2sec. He will be on his rear wing in the next five or six laps at this race.
Bortoleto gets Hadjar for the final points-paying position. He is having a very fine second half to the season.
Lap 61 of 71 - Top 10 and gaps
- NOR
- LEC +27.8
- VER +32.8
- BEA +46.4
- PIA +49.4
- RUS +50.8
- ANT +52.4
- HAM +55.6
- OCO +69.8
- HAD +73.2
Lap 60 of 71 - Piastri gets Russell for fifth!
Into turn one and decisively done. Next up is Bearman, 2.7sec behind. Fourth place with Norris winning means he would be leading the standings as we head into Brazil. A bold move from a long way back. Nicely done.
Lap 59 of 71 - Answer to my question...
19.2sec is the largest winning margin this year, when Verstappen won at Monza. That is going to be beaten today unless Norris pits again.
Lap 58 of 71 - Norris leads by 27sec
What is the largest winning margin so far this year?
Lap 57 of 71 - Verstappen trails Leclerc by 7.5sec
0.6sec faster he was the last time around. Russell now has Piastri on his rear wing again, though at least he doesn’t have Antonelli holding him up. Again, crucial that Piastri maximises his points total this weekend.
Lap 56 of 71 - Norris leads Leclerc by 26.2sec
Bearman has extended his lead over Russell to 1.3sec. Fourth would still be a fantastic result for Haas and for Bearman.
❗Sainz gets another penalty for speeding in the pit lane.
He said the car was jumping in the pit lane the last time he stopped so it may be something to do with the Williams’ software. It’s a drive-through penalty...
Lap 55 of 71 - Leclerc the slowest driver in the top eight
Only Ocon and Hadjar in the top 10 are slower than him. Bearman is 22 seconds behind so he should be able to stop and claim a podium. But second looks a little less likely than it did 20 seconds ago.
Lap 54 of 71 - Leclerc has a job on his hands
At the current rate Verstappen will catch Leclerc in second in the next 13 laps. 16 laps remain.
Russell, meanwhile, is not close enough to try a move on Bearman for fourth into turn one.
Lap 53 of 71 - Norris leads Leclerc by 24.5sec
A lead so large he could stop again and still come out ahead. I don’t think a podium is on for Bearman now, barring any retirements from the cars in the mix.
Lap 52 of 71 - How is Leclerc’s pace?
Not great, he says. he is 11 seconds ahead of Verstappen but was 0.7sec slower the last time around. His mediums are 20 laps old. Can he cling on?
Bearman does not look like clinging on unfortunately, Russell has better pace and is now within DRS range.
Lap 51 of 71 - Top 10
- NOR
- LEC +23.5
- VER +35.4
- BEA +51.1
- RUS +52.2
- PIA +55.9
- ANT +57.3
- HAM +58.8
- OCO +62.0
- HAD +65.2
Lap 50 of 71 - This will be a thrilling finish
Not for Norris who leads by 23.2sec.
Lap 49 of 51 - Haas nail their stop too
Bearman out ahead of Russell and the gap stays the same. He has slipped down to fourth behind Verstappen but he has 11 lap fresher tyres. Also 16 seconds to make up, though.
Will Verstappen make his tyres last another 20 laps? Is that too big an ask?
Lap 48 of 71 - Bearman’s pace is good
Counting down the laps yet? A first podium awaits. Russell is 2.3sec behind and it looks like Russell is coming in. What will Bearman do? Verstappen could be the threat to Bearman if he stays out. Nope. Bearman pits, too! I think they had to, really or they were easy pickings.
Lap 47 of 71 - Verstappen gets Hamilton...
Next up is Piastri, who is chasing Antonelli but has not yet been able to find an opening. He will need to get a move on or risk falling further behind...
Antonelli comes into the pits... and so does Piastri! Hamilton into the pits too. All three going on a two-stop strategy. McLaren nail their stop and get ahead of the Mercedes in the pits...
Lap 46 of 71 - Piastri very close to Antonelli
Can he afford to take a risk when the opportunity comes?
Lap 45 of 71 - Norris now leads by 20sec
Bearman’s pace looks decent at the moment, though Russell is only two seconds behind. Piastri is 0.4sec behind Antonelli and would dearly like to get past him. Verstappen is within DRS range of Lewis Hamilton with much fresher tyres.
Lap 44 of 71 - Norris leads Leclerc by 19.5sec
So far, so straightforward for the McLaren driver, who will be the new championship leader if things stay like this.
Lap 43 of 71 - Hamilton closing in on the battle for third
At the moment Bearman leads Russell by 2.1sec, Antonelli by 2.8sec, Piastri by 3.6sec and Hamilton by 6.9sec. Verstappen is one spot further behind and is lapping nearly a second faster than those ahead of him...
Lap 42 of 71 - Top 10
- NOR
- LEC
- BEA
- RUS
- ANT
- PIA
- HAM
- VER
- SAI
- OCO
Verstappen has some overtakign to do.
Lap 41 of 71 - Antonelli lets Russell past
Should have happened a couple of laps earlier if they were trying to do it. Piastri cannot take advantage and Russell sets off to chase down Bearman, who has a job on his hands to claim a first podium for himself and the Haas team.
Lap 40 of 71 - It’s close in the race for third
Bearman is currently leading the way but then has Antonelli, Russell, Piastri within 2.8sec with Hamilton a further 4.3sec behind. I don’t think Bearman has the ultimate pace of the two Mercedes cars.
Russell, again, is dismissive of his race engineer giving him orders and informs him that he’s trying desperately to keep Piastri behind him and that he cannot really do both things.
Lap 39 of 71 - Russell on the radio again
He says he will give the place back if he cannot get Bearman, but says that this strategy is compromising both of their races.
Lap 38 of 71 - Russell not happy
He says he has a “McLaren up my a---” and that he wants Antonelli to let him past. Verstappen finally stops and comes out in eighth 8.5sec behind Hamilton.
Lap 37 of 71 - Only just over half distance...
It has been a fairly full-on race. Norris leads Verstappen by nearly 11 seconds byt Verstappen has not stopped. Tsunoda dives into the pit lane, though, to move off the medium tyres and onto the softs.
Lap 36 of 71 - Mercedes on Mercedes
Russell says he’s faster, he is told he is free to overtake. He thinks he can get a podium but is told about managing his brakes.
Lap 35 of 71 - Top 10 and gaps
- NOR
- VER +8.1
- LEC +16.2
- BEA +18.8
- ANT +19.6
- RUS +20.0
- PIA +21.7
- HAM +25.4
- TSU +27.4
- BOR +33.7
Verstappen, Tsunoda and Bortoleto have not yet stopped.
Lap 34 of 71 - Norris pits from the lead
He has enough of an advantage to come out ahead of Verstappen and retain the lead. Some good action going on behind him, though.
Lap 33 of 71 - Norris approaching the backmarkers now
His lead is 28.7sec ahead of Leclerc. Piastri is now right on the back ot Tsunoda, who isn’t far from the rear wing of George Russell, either. Piastri’s job now is just to maximise what he can get here today and dust himself down and move onto Brazil and try for something better there.
Lap 32 of 71 - Bearman continues his progress
He breezes past the Red Bull of Yuki Tsunoda into fourth place. He is 1.8sec behind Leclerc now... a podium is certainly possible, even likely now. He has had a rocky season at points but is starting to put it together as we reach the end of the year.
Lap 31 of 71 - Norris now has a pit-straight gap to Leclerc
Leclerc, though, pits at the end of this lap. A second place would be a good result for Ferrari, however distant. Not sure where Hamilton will finish but inside the top six would be a major result.
Lap 30 of 71 - Piastri making progress
Mostly on drivers who have not stopped. But anyway, he is back behind Russell by 1.4sec. Norris now leads by 16.5sec. Ferrari cannot live with his pace. Nobody can. We have barely seen him on TV.
Lap 29 of 71 - Top 10 and gaps
- NOR
- LEC +15.2
- VER +27.6
- TSU +40.1
- BEA +43.1
- ANT +44.7
- RUS +46.5
- HAD +47.6
- PIA +18.8
- BOR +50.0
Lap 28 of 71 - Bearman up into fifth
He is the lead driver who has stopped. Ahead of him are Tsunoda, Verstappen (who he will likely overtake when they stop) and Leclerc and then Norris (who he will not).
Lap 27 of 71 - ❗Penalty for Sainz
Five seconds for speeding in the pit lane.
‼️Nico Hulkenberg retires from the race with power unit issues.
Lap 26 of 71 - Piastri gets Albon
But that means he is still behind Russell after those pit stops. It hasn’t worked out for Piastri today. Or this weekend. Norris now leads by 13 seconds ahead of Leclerc.
Everything going to plan for Norris. Less for for Piastri and Verstappen, who are both going to lose significant ground to Norris as it stands.
Lap 25 of 71 - Bearman in with a chance of a podium here
A flurry of pit stops from the front-runners. Piastri has come out ahead of Hamilton, at least, but is behind Albon which means Piastri is going to struggle to undercut the Mercedes.
Lap 24 of 71 - Piastri is called into the pits
Losing time behind Russell perhaps. Bearman also stops from a strong fourth. He could be in line for a very fruitful points haul today.
Lap 23 of 71 - Norris extends his lead further
Over 10 seconds now. Hamilton stops and takes his 10 second penalty. That has ruined his race.
Lap 22 of 71 - Norris leads Leclerc by 9.7sec
Hamilton is informed of his penalty and disagrees with it. No further investigation on Verstappen for the turn three incident.
Lap 21 of 71 - Championship status update
As it stands Piastri would score four points, Verstappen 10 and Norris 25. That would put Norris in the lead of the standings, seven ahead of Piastri and 41 ahead of Verstappen, by my calculations.
⁉️Now Verstappen has been note for leaving the track and gaining an advantage at turn three. Not sure which lap...
Lap 20 of 71 - ⁉️HAM/VER incident at turn one being investigated
I think Verstappen being investigated for causing the collision but I am not 100 per cent sure.
Lap 19 of 71 - Top 10 and gaps
- NOR
- LEC +8.0
- HAM +13.8
- BEA +18.0
- VER +19.9
- ANT +21.0
- RUS +22.1
- PIA +22.3
- TSU +29.6
- OCO +30.0
Lap 18 of 71 - Piastri pressuring Russell for seventh
Gaps are opening up throughout the field.
Lap 17 of 71 - Love these photos from the race start
Lap 16 of 71 - Norris leads Leclerc by 6.6sec
Bearman in fourth still showing good pace.
Lap 15 of 71 - ❗Penalty for Hamilton
It’s a 10-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. That would put him into ninth...
Lap 14 of 71 - Norris’s blistering pace
No car on track was within 0.4sec of Lando Norris’s lap time the last tour. Might have been a different story had Ferrari managed to jump Norris at the start... but they did not.
Hamilton being investigated properly for leaving the track and gaining an advantage but will not face a penalty for failing to follow the race directors’ notes. OK.
Lap 13 of 71 - Norris leads Leclerc by 4.3sec
This is developing into a one-horse race, I’m afraid. Ferrari do not have the pace to match the lead McLaren.
Lap 12 of 71 - Norris edges further ahead
3.7sec now. Ferrari drivers already into lift-and-coast mode.
Verstappen slowly coming back at Bearman, is he? He is under pressure from behind, though.
Lap 11 of 71 - Piastri now has P8 from Tsunoda
He is 16 seconds behind race leader and team-mate Lando Norris.
Lap 10 of 71 - ⁉️HAM/VER incident noted
Who is in the wrong more there? This is separate to the incident of Hamilton cutting the corner at turn four.
Piastri still in ninth behind Tsunoda, by the way. The first driver, and only one so far, out of the race is Liam Lawson.
Lap 9 of 71 - Norris leads Leclerc by 2.7sec
Looking very calm and in control out front. Verstappen in fifth is 11 seconds behind but is on a contra strategy. Bearman is 2.6sec ahead of Verstappen, which shows how well they are both doing relatively. A bit of a messy race from Verstappen so far.
Lap 8 of 71 - Piastri cannot get past Tsunoda
He tries a move at turn four but it does not work.
⁉️Hamilton has been noted for failing to follow the race directors’ notes when he left the track at turn four. Could it be a penalty? Yes.
Lap 7 of 71 - Here is what happened...
Verstappen had a lunge up the inside of Hamilton at turn one but then arguably ran him off the road, certainly squeezed him. Not sure if that will be noted, the wheels certainly touched.
Here’s the new order:
- NOR
- LEC
- HAM
- BEA
- VER
- ANT
- RUS
- TSU
- PIA
- OCO
Norris leads Leclerc by 2.1sec.
Lap 6 of 71 - Verstappen runs wide at turn three
What is going on? Hamilton tries to take the place from the slower Red Bull at turn four but locks up and goes straight on... but then Verstappen is vulnerable to Bearman behind (where did he come from?!) and loses fourth place to the Haas. We didn’t see the run-up to that incident but Bearman has come from nowhere.
Lap 5 of 71 - Russell not happy with Verstappen at the start
Russell also cut the corner, but not quite as severely. Hamilton nearly hit Leclerc at the start, or the other way around as it were. Verstappen got a flyer but locked up and knew he wasn’t going to make the corner.
Lap 4 of 71 - Top 10
- NOR
- LEC
- HAM
- VER
- RUS
- BEA
- ANT
- TSU
- PIA
- OCO
Lap 3 of 71 - 🟨Yellow flags
What is this for? Debris, I assume. No drivers have stopped on track.
Lap 2 of 71 - Incident on lap one noted
Not surprised. Norris leads Leclerc by 1.4sec with Hamilton less than a second behind his team-mate. Lawson pits for a new front wing. It is a very slow stop so he drops to the back of the field.
THE MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX IS GO!
🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴
Five lights out and it bunches up very much into the start and at the first turn, Norris leads but it’s four abreast at the turn-in point... Verstappen is at the outside and cuts the corner, Leclerc then cuts the second corner I think and takes the lead illegally.
After a bit of shuffling around the pack the order becomes Norris, Leclerc, Hamilton and Verstappen. Piastri is down to ninth, getting caught up in the midfield there...
Verstappen had no intention of taking the corner. Should he still be in fourth? Need to see a replay. It was also very close between Leclerc and Hamilton.
Hot, hot, hot...
Air temp ‘only’ 26.1C. Feels way hotter than that. Maybe it’s the altitude but the sun is very punishing here. Staying cool is on the grid the name of the game. The drivers spend as long as they can in their garages, coming out to the anthems as late as possible. Saw George Russell do an excellent umbrella-scooter handoff with his trainer Elias.
The formation lap is go
Norris leads the field away from pole position. A very big couple of laps coming up, and then another 69 after that...
Starting tyre types
Everyone on softs in the top 10 except for Verstappen, Hadjar and Tsunoda. It’s a mixture below them with the only hard-tyre starters being Albon in 17th and Colapinto in 20th.
The race should be a one-stopper.
Mexico City GP - Final starting grid
1. NOR 2. LEC
3. HAM 4. RUS
5. VER 6. ANT
7. PIA 8. HAD
9. BEA 10. TSU
11. OCO 12. SAI
13. HUL 14. ALO
15. LAW 16. BOR
17. ALB 18. GAS
19. STR 20. COL
‘What happened when I played padel with George Russell’
“OK, when I hit a lob we both come to the net,” George Russell instructs me. “But stick to your side. Force them to play down the middle.” It is late Wednesday morning at the Centro Deportivo Chapultepec in Mexico City and I am getting a brief taste of what it is like to be Russell’s team-mate over a game of padel.
The Mercedes driver is enjoying himself on court. We rotate between sets, with Russell’s girlfriend of five years, Carmen Mundt, also playing, plus his manager Harry Soden, performance coach Elias Huhtinen, and photographer Richard Pardon.
Read the full piece by Tom Cary here.
Points scored since the summer break
Verstappen has been in fine form, Piastri less so...
A much better session from Ferrari
Second and third, their best qualifying of the year (combined). Second and third is not a bad place to be at this track, such a long run down to turn one. Hamilton sounded moderately upbeat too after qualifying and we all know that has not often been the case this year...
The pit lane is open
And the cars are doing their reconnaissance laps. Russell has a big lock-up but no major trouble. Verstappen has a bit of a problem with his drinks bottle. Namely that it’s leaking.
The real championship standings, by the way
All to play for.
If they finish where they start...
A long way to go and a lot can happen during the race, or even on the first lap. But still, this would be the standings if it all stays the same for the front three drivers.
- Norris, 357pts
- Piastri, 352pts
- Verstappen, 316pts
Would be a long way back for Verstappen from there, 41 points to make up in four races and two sprints. It wouldn’t be too bad for him if he finished ahead of Piastri by a few places and just one behind Norris, though.
Watch: Norris’s stunning pole lap
Didn’t leave much out there, did he? His form seems to be peaking at the right time, or rather he is there to take advantage of Piastri’s poor run. He has not been the same since that disastrous opening few laps in Baku...
Qualifying times
How they finished after qualifying yesterday.
Race start time
The clocks have gone back in the United Kingdom which means we are back to Greenwich Mean Time. Anyway, the Mexico City Grand Prix (or at least the formation lap) starts at 8pm GMT.
Good afternoon
Welcome to our live coverage for the 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix from the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. Into the final run of races and the championship is poised finely. The man who has led for so long, Oscar Piastri, is falling out of form with his lead in serious threat after another poor qualifying session.
It was Lando Norris who pulled out one of the laps of the season on Saturday with a lap that was better than anyone else’s by nearly three tenths of a second. Norris trails McLaren team-mate Piastri by 14 points in the standings but if everyone finishes where they start then the Briton will be the new leader heading into the final four rounds in Brazil, Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
As in the United States last week, there was a big contrast between the McLaren drivers. As Norris bossed qualifying, Piastri could not get near his team-mate, finishing eighth and more than half a second off. Max Verstappen, who has been in imperious form in the last six weeks or so, has put himself in championship contention, but could only qualify fifth.
In between the Dutchman and Norris are the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton (second and third) and the Mercedes of George Russell. Given the way the starts can go at this track – it is a long run down to turn one – then Norris’s lead will be at risk. Still, I am sure he would rather be where he is than where Piastri is.
Anyway, the race gets under way in a little over an hour and we will be here for all the build-up, live updates and reaction from the Mexico City Grand Prix.