Norris storms to pole for Mexico City Grand Prix ahead of the two Ferraris
- Charlotte Mui
- 58 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Written by Charlotte Mui
Lando Norris took pole at the Mexican Grand Prix, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton completing the top three. Norris’ main championship rivals, Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri, only managed fifth and eighth, setting up a tantalising starting grid for tomorrow.
Qualifying 1
At 21:00 BST, cars peeled out of the pitlane to begin the qualifying session for the Mexican Grand Prix. The Aston Martins were the first out of the garage, both on used sets of tyres.
With 12 minutes to go, Norris was fastest with a 1:17.147, while his teammate and championship rival sat down in eighth, seven-tenths behind. Pressure has been building on the Australian with both his teammate and Verstappen hunting him down. He will need a good qualifying this weekend to gain some momentum going into the final few races.
Verstappen’s flying lap put him third on the board while Russell’s put him second. The gaps between the top four were separated by less than two-tenths of a second.
With eight minutes to go, Gabriel Bortoleto had yet to set a time, having violated track limits on his first run. He put in a lap good enough for eleventh a few minutes later, getting himself out of the elimination zone. His teammate, Nico Hülkenburg, on the other hand, remained in eighteenth after his second flying lap.
Piastri improved on his first effort, moving up to third, before being surpassed by a superb lap from Ollie Bearman.
The Racing Bulls car had been looking strong in the practice sessions, and with 4 minutes to go, Isack Hadjar put in a 1:16.733 to go fastest overall, while his teammate Liam Lawson went up to third.
The Red Bull cars, on the other hand, looked to be difficult to handle. Both Verstappen and Tsunoda were unable to beat their sister team’s times, finding themselves in fifth and ninth respectively.
Alex Albon was the last car out on track, trying to escape elimination, but was ultimately unable.
Q1 eliminations
16. Gabriel Bortoleto
17. Alex Albon
18. Pierre Gasly
19. Lance Stroll
20. Franco Colapinto
Qualifying 2
Isack Hadjar, fastest in Q1, was first out on track for the next phase of qualifying, setting the pace at a 1:17.137— four tenths slower than his lap in Q1. Track temperatures had dropped since, which seemed to disagree with the Racing Bulls car.
Hülkenberg then went fastest, before being displaced by Verstappen, who set a 1:16.824.
The Ferraris looked competitive throughout the practice sessions, particularly in Leclerc’s hands. That form seemed to carry into qualifying, with the Monegasque driver going quickest overall.
Norris then topped the timesheets once again, looking extremely comfortable around the track. His teammate, however, was over a second adrift — possibly due to a power unit issue.
With two minutes to go, Verstappen went second fastest, unable to displace Norris’ original time. Hamilton then went ahead of him, putting in a lap two tenths behind the McLaren driver.
Piastri’s struggles appeared to continue as he found himself in the elimination zone with a minute remaining. Fortunately, he delivered a lap good enough for seventh, though it was still half a second slower than his teammate’s, who finished Q2 fastest overall.
Q2 eliminations
11. Yuki Tsunoda
12. Esteban Ocon
13. Nico Hülkenburg
14. Fernando Alonso
15. Liam Lawson
Qualifying 3
Verstappen was the first to head out for the battle for pole, setting an initial benchmark of 1:16.455. Norris then went quicker, with a time of 1:16.170, looking like the favourite for pole.
After struggling through the first two phases of qualifying, Piastri looked to be finding some rhythm, though he remained around three-tenths off his teammate’s pace.
Leclerc then went quickest overall with a 1:15.991, with his Ferrari teammate slotting in third, just under four-tenths back. The Monegasque appeared to be putting Norris under real pressure for pole, as the Ferraris continued to look strong around this circuit.
With three minutes left, cars peeled out to set their flying laps in the final shootout for pole position.
Piastri was the first to cross the line, only managing to improve to third. He would have been looking better, especially as others were improving behind. Verstappen soon went faster to push him down to fourth.
Finally, Norris produced three purple sectors to reclaim the top spot, going four-tenths quicker than Leclerc’s time.
Sunday’s Starting Grid
Lando Norris
Charles Leclerc
Lewis Hamilton
George Russell
Max Vertsappen
Kimi Antonelli
Carlos Sainz
Oscar Piastri
Isack Hadjar
Ollie Bearman
Yuki Tsunoda
Esteban Ocon
Nico Hülkenburg
Fernando Alonso
Liam Lawson
Alex Albon
Gabriel Bortoleto
Pierre Gasly
Lance Stroll
Franco Colapinto
Looking Ahead
The Mexican Grand Prix gets underway at 20:00 BST tomorrow. This race could be pivotal for the championship standings, as Norris starts on pole with his two rivals in fifth and seventh (after Carlos Sainz’ grid penalty is applied). If the drivers finish as they start, there may be a switch in the championship lead for only the second time this season.
However, with the run down to Turn 1 being the longest on the calendar, the start could be crucial in shaping the outcome. The Ferraris have shown strong pace this weekend, raising the prospect of the Scuderia ending their winless streak. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the field influences the title fight as the race unfolds.
