McLaren’s Lando Norris reclaims the System One world championship lead he final held in April as he clinches his sixth win of the season in Mexico Metropolis
MEXICO CITY, Mexico – McLaren’s Lando Norris averted early mayhem to cruise to a dominant Mexico Metropolis Grand Prix win and retake the System One championship lead by a single level from teammate Oscar Piastri on Sunday, October 26 (Monday, October 27, Manila time).
Australian Piastri, who began the race seventh and 14 factors away from the Briton, completed fifth after a digital security automotive within the final two laps denied him a shot at fourth after an exhilarating chase.
Charles Leclerc was runner-up for Ferrari, a hefty 30.3 seconds adrift of Norris, whereas Crimson Bull’s reigning champion Max Verstappen took third — simply 0.7 behind the Monegasque.
Norris, who began from pole place and led each lap, now has 357 factors to Piastri’s 356, with Verstappen on 321 and 4 rounds remaining.
“What a race. I might simply hold my eyes targeted and ahead and give attention to what I used to be doing,” mentioned Norris, who was booed by the house crowd for causes that remained unclear.
“A reasonably simple race for me which is simply what I used to be after. A very good begin, a very good launch, a very good first lap, and I might go from there.”
Hamilton handed penalty
Norris final led the standings in April, a spot of 189 days, and had not received a race since Hungary in early August. Sunday was his sixth victory of the season, one lower than Piastri, and profession tenth.
“I felt like the entire race I used to be proper behind somebody and battling the soiled air. That was fairly tough,” mentioned Piastri.
“At this time was about making an attempt to restrict the harm, but additionally making an attempt to study some issues about that. If I’ve made some progress with that I’ll be completely satisfied.”
Oliver Bearman was fourth for Haas, a finest end result for the Briton and in addition the US-owned workforce, and was 1.1 seconds away from Piastri at a checkered flag waved by former heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield.
“I held off Max within the first stint, I held off the Mercs within the second, and I held off the McLaren within the third one,” the rookie mentioned.
“I spent extra time wanting in my rear view mirrors than in entrance. However that’s typically the way it must be.”
Kimi Antonelli was sixth for Mercedes, with teammate George Russell seventh and Lewis Hamilton eighth for Ferrari after a 10-second penalty dropped him from third and dashed his hopes of a primary podium for the workforce he joined in January.
Esteban Ocon was ninth, making a double factors end for Haas, and Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto took the ultimate level.
Ferrari strikes again to second place
The highest three all accomplished the race on a one-stop technique, whereas Bearman, Piastri, and the Mercedes drivers all pitted twice.
Ferrari moved again into second place, a degree forward of Mercedes, in a constructors’ championship already received by McLaren however with a good scrap for the runner-up slot.
Norris made a clear begin from pole when the lights went out however was caught in a four-way tussle down the long term to show one, with Verstappen reducing the nook and bumping over the grass.
Leclerc then minimize flip two, giving the place again to Norris who emerged from the chaos forward whereas Verstappen gained a spot in fourth to the extraordinary irritation of Russell.
“I bought squeezed like loopy,” mentioned Verstappen over the workforce radio as Russell, who began fourth, referred to as in useless for the four-time world champion handy the place again.
A scary incident noticed Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson, who got here in for a brand new entrance wing on lap three, speed up out of the pits as two marshals ran throughout the observe in entrance of him.
Verstappen and third-placed Hamilton made contact on lap six as they went facet by facet, with the Crimson Bull driver making an attempt to go previous at flip one however ending up reducing the following nook.
Hamilton went off at flip 4, reducing again throughout the grass, and was handed a penalty for leaving the observe and gaining a bonus.
Bearman in the meantime climbed to fourth, from ninth in the beginning, and regarded on for a podium as soon as Hamilton took his penalty on lap 24 solely to be reeled in by Verstappen.
Whereas Norris loved a peaceful afternoon within the sunshine, Piastri needed to combat again from a low of eleventh after his first cease, passing Antonelli within the pits and Russell on observe.
The digital security automotive was deployed after Williams’ Carlos Sainz, final yr’s winner for Ferrari, spun and stopped on observe on the penultimate lap with smoke coming from it. – Rappler.com
