Formula 1’s 2025 Mexican Grand Prix Review
Lando Norris delivered a masterclass during the Mexican Grand Prix at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, converting pole position into a lights-to-flag victory to seize the lead in the 2025 Drivers’ Championship. The McLaren driver controlled the race from start to finish, surviving early pressure from Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen before storming home by more than 30 seconds in front of a roaring Mexican crowd.
The win marks Norris’s sixth Grand Prix victory of the season, and perhaps his most complete performance yet — a display of confidence, precision, and maturity. Behind him, Leclerc held off a late-race charge from Verstappen to finish second, while Oliver Bearman claimed a career-best fourth in a breakout drive for Haas on their strongest weekend of 2025.
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Formula 1’s 2025 Mexican Grand Prix – Qualifying Report
Lando Norris delivered one of his finest qualifying performances of the season, securing pole position for the 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix with a spectacular lap in the closing moments of Q3. The McLaren driver set a blistering 1:15.586, outpacing Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton to take his fourth pole of the campaign — and his first since Hungary.
Under the thin air and heat of Mexico City’s high-altitude circuit, the final shootout came down to execution and precision. Leclerc initially held provisional pole after the first runs, but Norris found another gear when it mattered most, mastering the slippery, low-downforce conditions to reclaim the top spot with a near-perfect lap through the flowing middle sector.
After a strong showing in practice — where Leclerc, Verstappen, and Norris had each topped a session — the battle for pole was wide open heading into Saturday’s qualifying.
Norris looked sharp from the start, leading early in Q1 before momentarily losing the top spot to Ferrari’s Leclerc. The McLaren driver soon hit back, his 1:17.147 good enough to comfortably advance, while teammate Oscar Piastri continued to struggle with DRS issues. The standout in the opening round was Isack Hadjar, who stunned the paddock by going fastest for Racing Bulls, ahead of Hamilton and Norris.
Q2 saw the track evolve rapidly. Norris again set the pace with a 1:16.252, nearly half a second quicker than Leclerc, while Hamilton and Russell closed in behind. Verstappen and Antonelli both showed competitive pace, but Piastri again looked off rhythm, barely scraping through to Q3. Meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda narrowly missed the cut in 11th, just 0.014s short, while Hülkenberg, Ocon, Alonso, and Lawson joined him in elimination.
Then came Q3 — and the showdown the crowd had been waiting for. Leclerc drew first blood with a 1:15.991, edging ahead of Norris by nearly two tenths, while Hamilton and Russell slotted into third and fourth. Verstappen struggled for grip in the high altitude and could only manage fifth after his first run.
But on the final attempts, Norris came alive. The McLaren driver unleashed a flying lap that stunned the grid — purple through sectors two and three — stopping the clock at 1:15.586, a full 0.262s ahead of Leclerc. The Ferrari man improved on his final lap but couldn’t match Norris’s pace, while Hamilton secured P3 to lock in an all-Ferrari second row.
Top 10 – 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix Qualifying Results
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:15.586 |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:15.848 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 1:15.938 |
| 4 | George Russell | Mercedes | 1:16.034 |
| 5 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 1:16.070 |
| 6 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 1:16.118 |
| 7 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | 1:16.172 (5-place grid penalty applied) |
| 8 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | 1:16.174 |
| 9 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | 1:16.252 |
| 10 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 1:16.460 |
Formula 1’s 2025 Mexico Grand Prix Review
As the lights went out over Mexico City, Norris launched perfectly from pole, fending off a chaotic start that saw Leclerc, Hamilton, and Verstappen all dive for position into Turn 1. Four cars went wide through the opening complex, but Norris emerged unscathed, re-establishing his lead before the end of the first lap.
From there, it was pure control. The McLaren looked untouchable under the thin Mexican air, its straight-line speed and tire management proving decisive as Norris built a lead of more than five seconds within ten laps. Leclerc and Verstappen battled fiercely behind him, with the Ferrari driver narrowly holding the advantage while Verstappen searched for clean air in the turbulent midfield.
Further back, Oscar Piastri struggled to find rhythm in the opening stint, losing time behind traffic before settling into a steady fifth. Kimi Antonelli, meanwhile, continued to impress, keeping both Mercedes cars in the points fight as George Russell shadowed him closely throughout the race.
A mid-race shuffle saw Norris pit smoothly for a set of fresh mediums, rejoining comfortably ahead of Leclerc. Verstappen briefly attempted the undercut but could not make it stick, while Bearman — on an alternate strategy — surged up the order, stunning the crowd by holding fourth position on merit.
As the laps ticked down, Verstappen mounted one final push for second, closing within DRS of Leclerc. The Monegasque, however, defended perfectly, positioning his Ferrari at every apex to hold off the Red Bull by just 0.725 seconds at the flag.
Behind them, Bearman held off Piastri in a thrilling late-race duel to claim P4 — a career highlight for the young Briton — while Antonelli completed another composed drive in P6, confirming Mercedes’ consistency. Russell followed in P7, with Hamilton eighth after a 10-second penalty for leaving the track during an earlier battle with Verstappen.
Haas enjoyed a double-points finish thanks to Esteban Ocon in ninth, while Gabriel Bortoleto rounded out the top ten for Kick Sauber, securing the final point of the day.
2025 Mexico City Grand Prix – Final Classification
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time / Retired | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lando Norris | McLaren | 1:37:58.574 | 25 |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | +30.324 s | 18 |
| 3 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | +31.049 s | 15 |
| 4 | Oliver Bearman | Haas F1 Team | +40.955 s | 12 |
| 5 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | +42.065 s | 10 |
| 6 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | +47.837 s | 8 |
| 7 | George Russell | Mercedes | +50.287 s | 6 |
| 8 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | +56.446 s | 4 |
| 9 | Esteban Ocon | Haas F1 Team | +75.464 s | 2 |
| 10 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Kick Sauber | +76.863 s | 1 |
| 11 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull Racing | +79.048 s | 0 |
| 12 | Alexander Albon | Williams | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 13 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 14 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 15 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 16 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | +1 Lap | 0 |
| 17 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | DNF | 0 |
| NC | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | DNF | — |
| NC | Nico Hülkenberg | Kick Sauber | DNF | — |
| NC | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | DNF | — |
Conclusion
In a breathtaking performance under the Mexican sun, Lando Norris reasserted himself as the man to beat in 2025, reclaiming the championship lead by a single point from teammate Oscar Piastri. With four rounds remaining, the title fight is wide open — and momentum is swinging back toward McLaren.
The next stop on the calendar brings the paddock to high altitude once again for the Brazilian Grand Prix at Interlagos, a track famous for chaos, strategy, and emotion. Expect fireworks.
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Sources
- Formula1.com – “Norris seals commanding win in action-packed Mexico City GP to take World Championship lead”
- Formula1.com – “Norris charges to pole position in Mexico ahead of Leclerc and Hamilton”
- Formula1.com – Official Race Results: 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix
- Formula1.com – Official Qualifying Results: 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix
