Lando Norris Takes Pole Position in Mexico City
Lando Norris secured pole position for the Mexico City Grand Prix, delivering an impressive performance for McLaren at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. The British driver outpaced his title contenders and positioned himself for a significant impact on the championship standings, potentially reclaiming the lead.
With a notable boost to his championship hopes, Norris executed one of his finest qualifying laps of the season. He finished ahead of the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, who took second and third place respectively. More importantly, his main rivals, Max Verstappen and his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, could only manage fifth and eighth fastest times.
This pole position sent a clear message from Norris and McLaren, especially after Verstappen’s recent surge that closed the gap to the leaders. Having been 104 points behind Piastri after the Dutch Grand Prix, the reigning champion has won three out of the last four races and is now just 40 points behind the Australian and 14 points behind Norris.
The turnaround has been remarkable for Red Bull and their driver, making Norris’s pole crucial after a long wait since his last pole at the Belgian GP. This achievement sets him up to potentially lead the championship for the first time since the Saudi Arabian GP if he wins and Piastri finishes below second place.
Norris acknowledged the significance of his performance: “I’m happy to be back on pole; it’s been a long time. It felt good, but when I saw my time of [one minute] 15.5, I was surprised. I’m here to win and will have some speedy competitors behind me; I’m not expecting it to be easy.”
He showcased strong composure during qualifying, demonstrating that the McLaren is a formidable car and that he feels comfortable when it is performing well. However, his teammate Piastri struggled, unable to keep up with the leading pace and failing to challenge for the top positions. Having not qualified better than third since the Dutch GP, Piastri will start from seventh due to a grid penalty for Carlos Sainz of Williams.
Hamilton’s third-place finish is noteworthy as well, marking his first top-three qualifying position of the season after a challenging start with Ferrari. He expressed his delight, stating, “I’m really happy, honored to be up here with Charles and Lando, who have been quick all year. P3 is the perfect spot at this track, and I hope to capitalize on that.”
