Norris Secures Victory in Mexico City, Verstappen Closes championship Gap
Mexico City – Lando Norris of McLaren took the checkered flag at the Mexico City Grand Prix on sunday, marking his sixth win of the season and surging to the lead in the World Championship standings.The victory, coupled with Max Verstappen’s impressive recovery drive, dramatically shifts the championship dynamic with just four races and two sprint events remaining.
Norris demonstrated both speed and consistency throughout the weekend, securing pole position and ultimately dominating the race at the Hermanos Rodríguez circuit. McLaren’s fifth-place finish in the constructors’ championship has resulted in limitations to their wind tunnel and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) usage compared to competitors, a factor possibly influencing the current competitive landscape.
Verstappen, driving for Red Bull, finished third after starting fifth on the grid. He executed a remarkable strategy, completing over 30 laps on a single set of soft tires. His charge was hampered late in the race by a virtual safety car deployed following the retirements of carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso, preventing a final attack on Charles Leclerc who finished second.
The result sees Norris take a narrow one-point lead in the championship over his McLaren teammate. Verstappen continues to close the gap, now trailing the leader by 36 points. The total points available across the remaining races and sprints is 124.
The resurgence of Verstappen’s championship challenge comes after a period where the superiority of the MCL39 driven by Oscar Piastri and Norris appeared dominant. In the four races from Monza (September 7) to Austin (October 19), Verstappen closed a 60-point gap on his rivals.
Red Bull’s aggressive development push, including the introduction of a new flat bottom at Monza and further optimization in Mexico, is believed to be a key factor in Verstappen’s improved performance. This coincides with a period where development on competitor cars has slowed, as teams begin to allocate resources towards the 2026 season and the significant technical regulation changes anticipated then.
