Formula 1 News: Norris wins pole for the 2025 Mexico City GP

McLaren driver Lando Norris (pictured)  turned a lap of 1m15.586s to win the pole for the 2025 Mexico City GP Formula 1 race around the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriquez circuit.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

The Briton had been the metronome of consistency all weekend, dictating the rhythm in Q2 with a blistering 1:16.252 lap that left Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton two-tenths adrift and a trio of challengers—George Russell, Max Verstappen, and Carlos Sainz—trailing by three.

But Q3, the gladiatorial top-10 shootout, promised chaos. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc struck first, snatching provisional pole with a lap that sent ripples through the paddock. The Monegasque’s time held firm on his second run, but Norris, the 25-year-old with fire in his veins, wasn’t done.

Channeling the ghosts of Mexico’s high-altitude sorcery, he unleashed a masterpiece: 1:15.586. It was 0.262 seconds quicker than Leclerc’s best—a margin that felt like an eternity in F1’s split-second world. Norris’s McLaren danced through the esses and stadium section, securing his first pole since the sopping chaos of Spa in Belgium and handing his title-hungry team a golden starting slot.

Behind him, the scarlet Ferrari duo of Leclerc and Hamilton bookended the front row like bookends guarding a trophy. Hamilton, ever the seven-time maestro, slotted into third with a composed effort that masked Mercedes’ underlying woes.

Russell shadowed him in fourth, the Silver Arrows’ younger gun proving his mettle. But for Red Bull’s reigning champion Max Verstappen, it was a day of frustration. The Dutchman, locked in a fierce duel with Norris for the drivers’ crown, grappled with grip issues in the lightning-fast second sector, settling for a distant fifth—his lowest Q3 finish in months.

The midfield brought its own drama. Mercedes’ teenage prodigy Kimi Antonelli, in only his sophomore season, dazzled with sixth place, outpacing Williams’ Carlos Sainz by a whisker. The Spaniard, however, carried the shadow of Austin’s indiscretions—a five-place grid penalty that would shunt him back to 12th for Sunday’s race.

Further down, rookies shone amid the veterans’ grit: Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar and Haas’ Ollie Bearman muscled into the top 10, claiming ninth and tenth to earn a shared fifth-row start. For Norris’s teammate and the surprising championship leader, Oscar Piastri, though, the session was a sobering stumble.

The Australian, who had shadowed Norris all weekend like a reluctant understudy, labored on used softs in Q2 before scraping into Q3 seventh on fresh rubber—just 0.079 seconds ahead of the eliminated Yuki Tsunoda. By the end, he languished in eighth, nearly eight-tenths off Norris’s pace, a chasm that whispered of mechanical gremlins or mental hurdles in the title pressure cooker.

The eliminations painted a broader canvas of survival and sacrifice. Tsunoda, the RB man with a chip on his shoulder, missed Q3 by a heartbreaking 0.014 seconds, landing 11th. Haas’ Esteban Ocon followed in 12th, with Sauber’s Nico Hülkenberg 13th after a scrappy Q2. Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, the evergreen warrior, mustered only 14th in the greener AMR, while teammate Liam Lawson’s botched final lap in Q2 consigned him to 15th.

Q1 claimed more scalps: Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto tumbled to 16th, Williams’ Alex Albon to 17th, and Alpine’s Pierre Gasly to 18th. Lance Stroll’s aborted run left him 19th for Aston, and Franco Colapinto brought up the rear in 20th for the Enstone squad.

As the sun dipped behind the Peraltada curve, Norris stood atop the timing screens, helmet in hand, a grin cracking his visor. In a season where every point was a dagger in the title race, this pole wasn’t just a starting berth—it was a statement. Verstappen’s struggles and Piastri’s wobble handed Norris a lifeline, a chance to strike first in Mexico’s thin air.

Sunday’s grand prix loomed like a bullfight: Would the Briton charge to victory, or would the altitude claim another victim? The Aztec gods, it seemed, were smiling on the underdog—for now.

2025 Mexico City GP Qualifying Results