Lando Norris achieved an important pole position in the 2025 Formula 1 championship battle by taking his McLaren MCL39 to the top of the leaderboard at the Mexico City Grand Prix qualifying.
The McLaren driver fended off a challenge from Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton to secure his first pole since the Belgian Grand Prix, toppling initial Q3 leader Leclerc with a time of one minute, 15.586 seconds lap around the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit.
Hamilton was third ahead of his old Mercedes teammate Russell, while reigning world champion Max Verstappen struggled for grip in the fast second sector and could only manage fifth for Red Bull.
That was still better than championship leader Oscar Piastri, who had looked a step behind Norris all weekend and qualified eighth behind Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Carlos Sainz, although the latter will take a five-place grid penalty for causing a collision with Antonelli in the previous race at Circuit of the Americas.
Isack Hadjar and Oliver Bearman excelled to make it into Q3, and the rookie duo will share the fifth row.
Q2 was topped by Lando’s one minute, 16.252 seconds, two tenths clear of Hamilton and three ahead of Russell, Verstappen and Sainz.
In the other McLaren, Piastri was having difficulty to advance to the top ten shootout. The championship leader was tenth after the first run, although on used soft tyres, but even on new softs he struggled to keep up with the frontrunners.
Piastri eventually advanced in seventh, just 0.079 seconds ahead of Yuki Tsunoda.
Alongside Tsunoda, Esteban Ocon and Nico Hulkenberg were eliminated. Fernando Alonso was only P14 in the quickest Aston Martin, while a botched final lap cost Liam Lawson.
In Q1 it quickly became apparent track conditions were rapidly improving, with drivers trying to edge out two push laps on a single set of tyres as the track gripped up. It made for a random order, with Racing Bulls rookie Hadjar topping the session from Hamilton, Russell and Norris.
Verstappen went through in ninth after struggling for grip through the high-speed sector two Esses, which would become a recurring theme, ahead of Piastri.
Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto was the first driver to be eliminated in P16, followed by another poor showing for Alex Albon in the Williams.
At the back of the field, Alpine duo Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto were split by Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, with Colapinto left to rue a mistake which ruined a more promising looking lap.
So a vital pole position for Lando Norris in terms of the title battle. To be several places ahead of Oscar Piastri will benefit him in the upcoming race and if Norris wins, he will become the new championship leader.
Mexico City Grand Prix, qualifying results:
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 1:16.070
6 Andrea Kimi Antonelli Mercedes 1:16.118
7 Oscar Piastri McLaren 1:16.174
8 Isack Hadjar Racing Bulls 1:16.252
9 Oliver Bearman Haas 1:16.460
10 Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull 1:16.816
11 Carlos Sainz Williams 1:16.172*
12 Esteban Ocon Haas 1:16.837
13 Nico Hulkenberg Sauber 1:17.016
14 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin 1:17.103
15 Liam Lawson Racing Bulls 1:18.072
16 Gabriel Bortoleto Sauber 1:17.412
17 Alexander Albon Williams 1:17.490
18 Pierre Gasly Alpine 1:17.546
19 Lance Stroll Aston Martin 1:17.606
20 Franco Colapinto Alpine 1:17.670
*Five-place grid penalty for causing a collision with Andrea Kimi Antonelli in COTA
Lando Norris surged to a stunning pole position in Qualifying for the Mexico City Grand Prix, the Briton leading the way from the Ferrari pair of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton while McLaren team mate Oscar Piastri ended the session back in eighth.
After setting the pace in Q2, it looked like Norris had a challenge on his hands in the top 10 shootout when Leclerc grabbed provisional pole during the opening runs. But the 25-year-old was in commanding form for his second lap, pumping in a 1m 15.586s to go 0.262s quicker than Leclerc’s final effort.
Hamilton added to a solid outing for Ferrari by taking P3, followed by Mercedes’ George Russell in P4 and the Red Bull of Max Verstappen in P5. The other Silver Arrows machine of Kimi Antonelli, meanwhile, claimed P6 from Williams’ Carlos Sainz, though the Spaniard will take a five-place grid drop following a penalty last time out in Austin.
It looked to be another tricky session for Piastri, with the Australian nearly eight-tenths adrift of his team mate in eighth place, while Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar and Haas’ Ollie Bearman completed the top 10.
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/norris-charges-to-pole-position-in-mexico-ahead-of-leclerc-and-hamilton.7HZL7OOKMbgNw5Rogc7iCC
Lando Norris qualified on pole position for the Mexico Grand Prix while his team-mate and current drivers’ championship leader Oscar Piastri will start as far back as seventh. After delivering a decisive final lap at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Norris is happy to be leading Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton.
Talking after a comfortable session for the driver, the Briton was surprised by his pace.
“I’m happy to be back on pole. It’s actually been quite a long time, so it’s a good feeling.
“The lap was one of those where you don’t really know what happened. It felt decent but when I saw the time I was very pleasantly surprised.
“I’ve been feeling good all weekend, especially today. I got a little bit nervous of the Ferrari at the end, but I pulled it out when it mattered and I’m very happy.”
With a smile, he added: “I’ve not been sleeping well lately, so maybe that’s the key to it all?”
Despite his apparent lack of sleep, he is confident going into Sunday’s race.
“I’ve had some good races here in the past and will focus on what I can control. That’s all I can do.”
The front row puts Norris in the best position to convert his qualifying pace into a win, but the long run to Turn 1 will put him under pressure.
“I’m here to win.
“I’ll be looking forward. I know I’m going to have some quick guys behind me.
“It’s a long run down to Turn 1 and so forth. The race pace from the Ferraris is normally very strong.
“I’m expecting a battle, I’m not expecting it to be easy. Eyes forward and I’ll see how much I can win by.”
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/lando-norris-shocked-by-stunning-mexico-gp-pole-ive-not-been-sleeping-well/10771309/
Lewis Hamilton has championed the improved processes at Ferrari after securing P3 on the starting grid for the Mexico Grand Prix.
The seven-time champion is set to start the race at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in third behind polesitter Lando Norris and his Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc in second.
“This is the first time we’ve both [Hamilton and Leclerc] been in the top three in qualifying this year and the team truly deserve it,” Hamilton explained after the session.
“We are just working as hard as we can. We’ve not really moved the car forward necessarily in development, but we’ve extracted more from it and the processes are better.”
The 40-year-old is hoping to make the most of the long run to Turn 1, identifying P3 as a “kind of perfect” starting point.
“P3 is kind of the perfect spot at this track, so I’m hoping I can make the most of that.
“Our race pace is not too bad. It’s difficult to know, but we’ll try and give it a good race.”
Since joining Ferrari at the start of the season, Hamilton has struggled to adapt to the Maranello outfit. While he secured his first sprint race win with Ferrari in China, Hamilton is yet to celebrate on the top step of the podium at a grand prix with the historic team.
Hamilton’s best grand prix finish this year to date is fourth place, which he scored in the Emilia-Romagna, Austrian, British and United States Grands Prix.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, Hamilton discussed his progress with Ferrari in more detail.
“In terms of the season, I think we’re seeing a lot of progress. Particularly on my side since the summer break. I think there’s been some small tweaks I have had to my approach and to the work that I’m doing. The guys have been making progress.
“I’ve been feeling much better in the car. And I feel like each weekend is getting better. It’s taken a long time to get to this point. But progress takes time. So I do see this year really as just foundation building. Every track that I go to is the first time I’m in a Ferrari with this car.
“With this characteristic of a car. The driving style that I have to use compared to what I experienced in the previous years. So I’m hoping for a good weekend this weekend.”
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/lewis-hamilton-hails-ferrari-process-improvement-after-p3-qualifying-at-mexico-gp/10771305/
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella revealed that Oscar Piastri was losing “a few milliseconds” in every corner to his team-mate Lando Norris during the Mexico Grand Prix qualifying.
While Norris secured pole position for the race at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Piastri qualified in P8 but will start the race from P7 after Carlos Sainz takes a five-place grid penalty carried over from the United States Grand Prix.
“Well, the lap is actually strong in pretty much every corner,” Stella explained to Sky Sports F1 about Norris’s pole-securing lap. “Lando, if I’m not wrong, is first in every single sector. The car has behaved well at all corner speeds.
“I think we had a few things that we need to regroup and understand. Coming from the last few races, I think we understand a little bit better how to use the car with the current package. The car is performing well and Lando maximised it.
“I was just saying that obviously there’s a little bit to review on Oscar’s side. It’s more difficult for him to use the car when the conditions are so sliding in a way like it was also in Austin. So, something that we need to review and make sure that we improve for tomorrow.”
He added: “Actually, like I said before for Lando, Oscar in relation to Lando loses a few milliseconds pretty much in every corner. So it’s more him getting the right feeling with these conditions and pushing that little bit more in every single corner.
“But obviously, it is very difficult to go that little bit more without having an issue. So, something definitely that we can work on and improve for tomorrow. I think the race pace is strong for both drivers. I’m sure Oscar will be able to recover some positions. It’s important for McLaren. It’s important for his championship. So we look forward to it.”
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/mclaren-chief-on-why-oscar-piastri-lost-out-to-lando-norris-in-f1-mexico-gp-qualifying/10771335/
Max Verstappen says his Red Bull Formula 1 car “just isn’t working” at the Mexico Grand Prix, after qualifying fifth on Saturday.
The reigning world champion reignited the title battle with his third win out of four races in last week’s United States Grand Prix, bringing his gap to leader Oscar Piastri down to 40 points.
It left Verstappen with his fate in his own hands, but still requiring a near-perfect final five-race stretch to overhaul Piastri and second-placed Lando Norris.
But the Dutchman hit a first roadblock in Mexico City as he couldn’t stop his Red Bull RB21 from sliding around the high-altitude Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, qualifying fifth after his tyres overheated.
Meanwhile, Norris claimed a dominant pole as he aims to take over the lead from Piastri, who will only start seventh on Sunday.
“I think we haven’t been very good all season with tyre overheating and that’s actually quite a big problem here,” Verstappen explained after ending up nearly half a second adrift of Norris. “At this altitude you start sliding and then the tyres heat up a lot immediately. And that doesn’t suit us, that’s clear.”
Verstappen and Red Bull had made a lot of progress in recent weeks to get a better handle on car balance and ride heights, but couldn’t replicate that due to a lack of bite on the low-grip Mexico surface.
“You can do a lot with balance, but of course that doesn’t solve everything,” he explained. “For example, in Austin we were also very fast, but if you look at the race, we always have to manage a lot more in certain corners than, say, a McLaren or a Ferrari. But In Austin the car was good, so you can mask that. But here, if you don’t even have a good balance, or at least no grip, then it’s over.
“I tried all set-up directions and nothing works. Maybe one direction drives a little better than the other, but we were just too slow with that one too.”
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/max-verstappen-mexico-gp-podium-is-just-not-going-to-happen-for-red-bull/10771346/