Not only did Great Britain’s Lando Norris crush the field on Sunday at the Mexico City Grand Prix, he squeezed past Australia’s Oscar Piastri to take the lead in the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship race.
Norris took advantage of pole position to lead from start to finish as he whipped through the 71-lap race to cross the line 30.324 seconds ahead of Charles Leclerc of Monaco. Max Verstappen of the Netherlands, Oliver Bearman of Great Britain and Piastri rounded out the top five.
Piastri held a 14-point lead over McLaren teammate Norris entering Sunday’s race, but Norris performed so well that he claimed a one-point edge over Piastri in the Drivers’ Championship standings with just four races to go.
Piastri had owned the top spot in the standings since winning the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on April 20 — a stretch of 15 races. Red Bull Racing’s Verstappen, the four-time defending champion, sits 36 points behind Norris.
Norris had to perform from the start as racers went four-wide into Turn 1 on the first lap trying to assert dominance. Verstappen, who made contact with Lewis Hamilton in Turn 1, and Leclerc both went off the track and had to filter their way back while stewards sorted it out.
Norris pulled away steadily from there to claim his sixth win of the season and 10th of his career.
The Mexico City Grand Prix crowd booed as Norris conducted his track-side interview after the race.
“I keep my head down and ignore all of this,” Norris responded. “I keep to myself and it’s working at the minute.”
–Field Level Media
