Norris Secures Victory in โMexico City, Verstappenโ Closes championship Gap
Mexico City – Lando Norris of McLaren took theโข checkered flag at the Mexico City Grand Prix on sunday, โฃmarking his โsixth win of the โseason and surging to the leadโข in the World Championship standings.The victory, coupled โฃwith Max Verstappen’s impressive recovery drive, dramatically shifts the championship dynamic with just four races and twoโ sprint events remaining.
Norris demonstrated both speed and consistency throughout theโ weekend, โsecuring poleโ position and ultimately dominating the race at the Hermanos Rodrรญguez circuit. McLaren’s fifth-place finish in the constructors’ championship has resulted in limitations to their โฃwind tunnel and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) usage compared to competitors, a factor possibly influencing the current competitive landscape.
Verstappen, driving for โRed Bull, finished third after starting fifth on theโฃ grid. He executed a remarkable strategy, completing over 30 โขlaps on a โขsingleโ set of soft tires. โHis chargeโค was hampered late in the race by a virtual โฃsafety car deployedโ following the retirements of carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso, preventing a final attack on Charles Leclerc โwho finished second.
The result sees Norris take a narrow one-point lead in the championship over his McLaren teammate. Verstappenโ continues to closeโข the gap, now trailing the leader by 36 points. The total points available across the remaining races and sprints โขis 124.
The resurgence โคof 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) โto 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 inโ Verstappen’s improved performance. โThis coincides withโ a period โฃwhere development on competitor cars has slowed, as teams begin to allocate resources towards the 2026 seasonโข and the significantโค technical regulation changes anticipated then.
