McLaren star dominates for 30-second win as Piastri struggles, Verstappen recovers for podium, and Bearman shines
Lando Norris delivered a statement victory at the 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix, dominating from pole to flag and seizing the Formula One championship lead by a single point with just four rounds left to run. In a season of tight margins and dramatic momentum swings, Norris’ 30-second win over Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc marks his first return to the top of the standings since April, as the intense battle for the title enters its defining stretch.
Norris’ performance was flawless from the opening lap amid a chaotic start, which saw as many as five cars take the first corner side by side and multiple drivers, including Leclerc and Hamilton, cutting across the grass. Norris initially lost and then rightfully regained the lead before building a commanding gap, lapping up to one second per lap faster than his rivals during the opening stint. He managed his tires expertly on a one-stop strategy while his championship rivals faltered behind.
Oscar Piastri, who had led the championship since Round 5, endured a rough weekend, dropping from seventh to as low as tenth after a poor start. A switch to a two-stop strategy and late-race overtake on George Russell secured him fifth place, enough for a damage-limitation finish but insufficient to retain the points lead. The result sets up a razor-thin title fight, with Norris now just one point ahead and Verstappen closing to within 36 points.
Max Verstappen, after an eventful race that included aggressive battles with Lewis Hamilton, who received a 10-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage, salvaged third for Red Bull. Verstappen’s late charge on fresher softs saw him pressure Leclerc for second, but a virtual safety car neutralized the closing laps, locking the Ferrari driver into the runner-up spot and keeping the Dutchman’s title hopes alive.
A star of the day was Haas rookie Ollie Bearman. Under threat of a potential race ban due to penalty points, Bearman delivered his cleanest, and best, F1 weekend yet, surging from tenth on the grid to a career-best fourth. He battled Verstappen and Hamilton in the opening stages, defied pressure from both Russell and Piastri late, and secured a result that could signal Haas’s resurgence.
Elsewhere, Hamilton’s penalty dashed his bid for a first Ferrari podium, leaving him to finish eighth after a promising start. The race further highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of each title hopeful: Norris’s calm and adaptability, Piastri’s difficulties in low-grip conditions, and Verstappen’s relentless racecraft.
With four grands prix and two sprint races left, the championship picture is electric. Team principal Andrea Stella hinted that McLaren could prioritize one driver if necessary, but both Norris and Piastri remain in the hunt. “There’s no problem in terms of track layout coming in the next races,” Stella said, while Norris remarked, “Every weekend’s new; I just have to keep doing what I’m doing, stay consistent, and fight to the end”.
