Lando Norris converted pole position into a commanding victory that sent him to the top of the 2025 Formula One World Championship standings at the 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix on Sunday. The win also marked McLaren’s first triumph at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez since Ayrton Senna’s 1989 victory.
Norris led every lap of the 71-lap event and crossed the line 30.324 seconds ahead of Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari, with Max Verstappen third, just 0.725 seconds behind Leclerc. With his teammate Oscar Piastri finishing fifth, Norris now sits on 357 points—one point clear of Piastri (356) and 36 points ahead of Verstappen (321), with four races remaining in the title run-in.
Norris described the weekend as “beautiful,” praising both his team and the atmosphere at the stadium-style circuit in Mexico City. “A pretty straightforward race,” he said. “I could just keep my eyes forward and focus on what I was doing … my first win here in Mexico, a beautiful one to win, especially here in the Stadium – man, this is awesome here, so thanks to all the fans.”
The start proved critical. Norris held his advantage into Turn 1 as chaos erupted behind him, while Piastri, who had started from seventh on the grid, fell to tenth before mounting a comeback that ultimately secured him fifth place. Norris stopped at half-distance for his only pit stop and emerged with his lead intact after a 2.6-second stop. Further up the order, race officials handed Lewis Hamilton a 10-second penalty for gaining an advantage by leaving the track, relegating him to eighth.
Leclerc, pleased to hold second, admitted the late-race Virtual Safety Car worked in his favour as his tyres faded and Verstappen closed in rapidly. “My tyres were completely gone, and I could see Max was coming back – I think the Safety Car saved me at the end,” he said. Verstappen, meanwhile, acknowledged a “very hectic beginning” after fighting wide and onto the grass at Turn 1, then switching from medium to soft tyres on lap 38 as he attempted to mount a late charge.
Piastri, who had led the championship for 189 days, said his weekend was “strange to get my head around,” citing his difficulties running in dirty air and being stuck behind slower cars for large sections of the race. “The whole race I was right behind someone … I’ve had to drive very differently,” he admitted.
Another standout was rookie Ollie Bearman, who finished fourth for Haas F1 Team—matching the team’s best-ever result in its 210th Grand Prix. Bearman held off Piastri and the Mercedes of George Russell and Hamilton to secure a career-best finish.
Now, the championship picture has shifted. Norris leads by a single point, the largest swing in the standings since April. With only four rounds remaining, the spotlight is now on McLaren and Norris to maintain momentum—and on Piastri and Verstappen to respond under intense pressure.
