Lando Norris left F1 title rivals Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri trailing in his wake as he stormed to pole position at the Mexican Grand Prix.
Norris ended his six-race run without pole position, his last coming in Belgium in July, by dominating the field and beating Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by 0.262 seconds.
It was a significant boost to Norris’ title hopes as rivals Verstappen and Piastri struggled to fifth and eighth respectively.
Piastri will start seventh due to a grid penalty for Williams’ Carlos Sainz but the championship leader has been well off the pace all weekend and was almost six tenths adrift. Lewis Hamilton claimed third on another impressive day for Ferrari and he will be hopeful of landing his first podium for the Scuderia on Sunday.
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F1 MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX - LATEST UPDATES
- F1 Mexico GP on Sunday starts at 8pm (GMT)
- Lando Norris starts on pole; Leclerc 2nd; Hamilton 3rd
- Click HERE for the full starting grid in Mexico
- Oscar Piastri has a 14-point lead over Lando Norris, with Max Verstappen 40 points behind the Aussie
- READ: Piastri vs Norris vs Verstappen - where will the F1 title be won and lost?
What time is the race on Sunday?
Sunday 26 October 2025 00:01
,
Kieran Jackson
The Mexico City Grand Prix starts at 8pm (GMT).
Drivers parade in Mexico
18:48
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Kieran Jackson
A typically vibrant atmosphere in Mexico City as the drivers are paraded around the circuit ahead of round 20!
Lewis Hamilton after his P3, and best qualifying of the year:
18:42
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Kieran Jackson
“I’m really happy, honoured to be up here with Charles and Lando, these guys have been so quick all year, the first time we’ve been top-three in qualifying.
“Super grateful for the team for continuing to push, we’ve extracted more out of it.
On race: “It’s hard to beat these two guys, P3 is the perfect spot at this track. Our racepace is not too bad, it’ll be an amazing crowd tomorrow.”
Max Verstappen makes astonishing ‘retirement’ claim ahead of Mexico GP
18:36
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Kieran Jackson
Max Verstappen believes he will need cars ahead of him to “retire” to go up the order in Sunday’s Mexico City Grand Prix after only qualifying fifth on the grid.
In a surprise turn of form, Red Bull’s Verstappen struggled for pace and will start on the third row, between the Mercedes drivers of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli.
Full quotes below:
Arvid Lindblad embraces the F1 ‘deep end’ with teen in contention for 2026 seat
18:29
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Kieran Jackson
British teenager Arvid Lindblad believes he will find a way to succeed in Formula One as he bids to land a seat for next season.
The 18-year-old impressed again while driving Max Verstappen’s Red Bull in first practice at the Mexican Grand Prix on Friday. Lindblad has been part of part of the Red Bull setup since the age of 14 and was granted an FIA super licence aged 17 after a request from the team.
Full story below:
Jacques Villeneuve slams ‘very soft’ McLaren racing rules with Norris and Piastri
17:59
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Kieran Jackson
Jacques Villeneuve believes McLaren’s “papaya rules” is very soft as drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris vie for their first F1 world championship.
Piastri revealed that the McLaren drivers now have a “clean slate” until the end of the season, after the team previously suggested Norris faced “repercussions” over their collision in Singapore earlier this month.
Yet Piastri hitting Norris in last week’s sprint in Austin has balanced out the driver preference with five races to go of the 2025 season. Piastri’s lead is 14 points over Norris and 40 points ahead of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
Full quotes below:
F1 2025 title race: Piastri vs Norris vs Verstappen – where will it be won and lost?
17:34
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Kieran Jackson
Preview by Kieran Jackson
The battle for the 2025 F1 drivers’ title is heating up and with five rounds remaining this season, it’s now a three-horse race.
Oscar Piastri’s lead has been whittled down in recent weeks and his advantage over McLaren teammate Lando Norris is now just 14 points, having gone three races without a podium finish.
Yet storming up behind both papaya drivers is Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, chasing a fifth consecutive championship. The Dutchman, from a deficit of 104 points in August, is now just 40 off Piastri with 141 points still to play for.
Lando Norris' reaction after pole:
16:30
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Kieran Jackson
"What a lap!"
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 25, 2025
Very well said, Lando #F1 #MexicoGP @McLarenF1 pic.twitter.com/eKlrTe4Xz4
Qualifying report: Lando Norris leaves F1 title rivals trailing in his wake with statement Mexico GP pole
16:00
,
Kieran Jackson
Lando Norris left F1 title rivals Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri trailing in his wake as he stormed to pole position at the Mexican Grand Prix.
Norris ended his six-race run without pole position, his last coming in Belgium in July, by dominating the field and beating Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by 0.262 seconds.
It was a significant boost to Norris’ title hopes as rivals Verstappen and Piastri struggled to fifth and eighth respectively.
Lando Norris on 'good position' in world championship
16:00
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Kieran Jackson
“I’m in a good position. I’m second. Probably prefer being first but I’m also in second with nothing to lose,” Norris said in Mexico.
“I’m in a comfortable place. I’m also not a guy who believes in momentum. Every weekend is so different.
“I’ve just been performing well recently and I’ll continue that. Same as Max has been doing very well recently.”
How many races are left?
14:00
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Kieran Jackson
ROUND 20 - MEXICO
Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City - 24-26 October
ROUND 21 - BRAZIL (sprint weekend)
Interlagos Circuit, Sao Paulo - 7-9 November
ROUND 22 - LAS VEGAS
Las Vegas Street Circuit - 20-22 November
ROUND 23 - QATAR (sprint weekend)
Lusail International Circuit, Lusail - 28-30 November
ROUND 24 - ABU DHABI
Yas Marina Circuit - 5-7 December
Oscar Piastri says Max Verstappen’s world title challenge is a ‘bit of a surprise’
10:00
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Kieran Jackson
Asked if he believed after Zandvoort that his title fight was only with Norris, Piastri said: “I think probably yes but everyone did. The run of form that he (Verstappen) has had since Monza has been a bit of a surprise.
“There were flashes of that performance early in the season but also pretty big dips. He has come to the fight quicker than I expected.
“The gap has shrunk a bit in the last few races but the focus has always been on going as fast as I can.
“I’d rather have the lead than being in any other spot. There is no benefit for me in worrying about that or focusing on that.”
What is the starting grid?
02:00
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Kieran Jackson
1) Lando Norris - McLaren
2) Charles Leclerc - Ferrari
3) Lewis Hamilton - Ferrari
4) George Russell - Mercedes
5) Max Verstappen - Red Bull
6) Kimi Antonelli - Mercedes
7) Oscar Piastri - McLaren
8) Isack Hadjar - Racing Bulls
9) Ollie Bearman - Haas
10) Yuki Tsunoda - Red Bull
11) Esteban Ocon - Haas
12) Carlos Sainz - Williams*
13) Nico Hulkenberg - Sauber
14) Fernando Alonso - Aston Martin
15) Liam Lawson - Racing Bulls
16) Gabriel Bortoleto - Sauber
17) Alex Albon - Williams
18) Pierre Gasly - Alpine
19) Lance Stroll - Aston Martin
20) Franco Colapinto - Alpine
*Sainz has a five-place grid penalty after being penalised for a collision with Antonelli at the last race in Austin
Oscar Piastri confused by lack of pace
Sunday 26 October 2025 00:31
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Kieran Jackson
Asked where he felt the issues were with the car, Piastri was unable to give any clarity, telling Sky Sports: “It all feels OK, just no pace. It’s a bit of a mystery.
“It’s been more or less the same gap all weekend, we’ll have a look where it is going wrong. Obviously a bit frustrating”
Asked to elaborate further on how the car feels different to earlier in the year: “Not a huge amount to be honest, this weekend and last weekend it’s just felt like the pace hasn’t come. Not 100% sure why yet, we’ll do some digging.
“I’ll try my best [at the start], that will be an opportunity to make some progress forwards, so we’ll see what we can do.”
Charles Leclerc on qualifying after P2:
Saturday 25 October 2025 23:30
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Kieran Jackson
“I’m pretty happy with the job we've done, there wasn’t much left in the car.
On race: “We’ll do our best into the first coener and see what’s possible.”
Top-10 for tomorrow's race
Saturday 25 October 2025 23:20
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Kieran Jackson
1) Lando Norris - McLaren
2) Charles Leclerc - Ferrari
3) Lewis Hamilton - Ferrari
4) George Russell - Mercedes
5) Max Verstappen - Red Bull
6) Kimi Antonelli - Mercedes
7) Oscar Piastri - McLaren
8) Isack Hadjar - Racing Bulls
9) Ollie Bearman - Haas
10) Yuki Tsunoda - Red Bull
Lando Norris, on his pole position:
Saturday 25 October 2025 23:12
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Kieran Jackson
On his lap: “I’m happy to be back on pole, it’s been quite a long time. The lap - I dunno, you don’t really know what happened, it felt decent, I was very pleasantly surprised. I’ve felt good all weekend. Bit nervous of the Ferrari in Q3 at the end - but very happy with that.
On race preparation: “I’ve not been sleeping well lately, maybe that’s the key. I’ve had some good races here in the past, just focus, that’s all I can do.”
On race/title race: “I’m here to win. I’ll be looking forward, I know I’ve got some quick guys behind me, the racepace from the Ferrari is very fast, I know it won’t be easy.”
That’s McLaren’s first pole in Mexico since 1990.
Norris on team radio:
Saturday 25 October 2025 23:05
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Kieran Jackson
“Ah what a lap, what a lap. I don’t know how I did that. The less I know the better!”
Lando Norris on pole position!
Saturday 25 October 2025 23:02
,
Kieran Jackson
Stunning lap from Lando to take pole - what a lap!
Norris takes pole by 0.262 secs to Charles Leclerc, with Lewis Hamilton in third!
Piastri only eighth (net seventh) and Verstappen fifth! A dream session for Norris!
4-10: Russell, Verstappen, Antonelli, Sainz (five-place grid penalty), Piastri, Hadjar, Bearman
Final runs coming up
Saturday 25 October 2025 22:56
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Kieran Jackson
Big moments for the weekend here - it’s a fascinating grid right now, but how much change will we have here?!
2:00 to go in Q3...
Charles Leclerc on provisional pole
Saturday 25 October 2025 22:55
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Kieran Jackson
Out of nowhere, it’s Ferrari who make the first statement!
Leclerc goes quickest by 0.179 seconds to Lando Norris, with Lewis Hamilton in third.
4-10: Verstappen, Piastri, Russell, Antonelli, Sainz, Hadjar, Bearman
They’ll head back in, recharge, and go again.
Charles - where did that come from?!
Q3 underway
Saturday 25 October 2025 22:49
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Kieran Jackson
Here we go then! The battle for pole position is underway.
10 drivers involved: Verstappen, Piastri, Norris, Hamilton, Leclerc, Russell, Antonelli, Sainz, Hadjar, Bearman
Oscar Piastri saves himself
Saturday 25 October 2025 22:41
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Kieran Jackson
Gosh, that was tight!
Piastri was heading out but put in a good final sector to finish seventh. Yet he’s still half-a-second off Norris.
Yuki Tsunoda, however, is OUT!
Bottom-five (11-15) and out in Q2: Tsunoda, Ocon, Hulkenberg, Alonso, Lawson
Top-3: Norris, Hamilton, Russell
Queue in pit lane
Saturday 25 October 2025 22:36
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Kieran Jackson
A lot of waiting in the pit-lane as the 15-car pack heads out for their second and final runs.
A reminder: work to do for Piastri and Russell.
Oscar Piastri on team radio:
Saturday 25 October 2025 22:34
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Kieran Jackson
“It felt like in turn 5, something happened with the PU.”
Sub-optimal.
Oscar Piastri in trouble
Saturday 25 October 2025 22:33
,
Kieran Jackson
Plenty of time left on the clock, but it’s not looking smooth for Piastri.
He’s currently P10 and while he was on used tyres, he’s a full second off teammate Lando Norris at the top!
Current bottom-five (11-15): Bearman, Ocon, Alonso, Antonelli, Lawson
Russell also precariously sitting in ninth. 7:00 to go in Q2...
Q2 underway
Saturday 25 October 2025 22:26
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Kieran Jackson
Green light at the end of the pit-lane - 15 minutes where again we’ll lose the slowest five drivers ahead of the top-10 shootout.
Albon on team radio:
Saturday 25 October 2025 22:23
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Kieran Jackson
“The brakes aren’t working at all.”
Alex Albon out in Q1
Saturday 25 October 2025 22:21
,
Kieran Jackson
Antonell survives in P15! Alex Albon can’t go quicker right at the end...
Bottom-five and out in Q1 (16-20): Bortoleto, Albon, Gasly, Stroll, Colapinto.
Surprising top-3: Hadjar, Hamilton, Russell
Onto Q2!
Yuki Tsunoda in trouble
Saturday 25 October 2025 22:16
,
Kieran Jackson
Familiar feeling for Tsunoda, who is in the danger-zone with four minutes to go.
Current bottom-five (16-20): Gasly, Tsunoda, Colapinto, Hulkenberg, Stroll
Antonelli only P15, but it could all change with the track ramping up ahead of the final runs.
4:00 to go in Q1.
Ollie Bearman quickest
Saturday 25 October 2025 22:11
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Kieran Jackson
Don’t ask me how, don’t ask me why - but Ollie Bearman is the fastest after the first set of runs.
Norris is 0.041 secs behind in second.
More importantly, current bottom-five (16-20): Albon, Stroll, Hamilton, Hulkenberg, Bortoleto
Plenty of time left though, 10 minutes.
No rush for frontrunners
Saturday 25 October 2025 22:02
,
Kieran Jackson
Just a handful of cars out here early on, and none of the expected table-toppers.
Should be said that the car temperatures and keeping it cool enough will be crucial here - it’s around 45C track temperature!
Q1 underway!
Saturday 25 October 2025 22:00
,
Kieran Jackson
Here we go then, on a sweltering hot day in Mexico City!
First session of 18 minutes, where we’ll lose the slowest five drivers from the rest of qualifying. Will we have any early shocks here?
Topping 215mph in Mexico
Saturday 25 October 2025 21:55
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Kieran Jackson
Expect more speeds like this in Qualifying... up next! #F1 #MexicoGP pic.twitter.com/9BRxwqlwZ5
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 25, 2025
Qualifying in 10 minutes
Saturday 25 October 2025 21:50
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Kieran Jackson
It’s another big moment in this F1 title race.
After a sterling lap earlier in practice, Lando Norris is perhaps the marginal favourite over Max Verstappen, with championship leader Oscar Piastri again off the pace so far this weekend.
Can he turn it all around, though? And can Mercedes and Ferrari get involved in the fight?
VIDEO: Verstappen's celebration at the last race in Austin
Saturday 25 October 2025 20:45
,
Kieran Jackson
TOP-10 IN FP3
Saturday 25 October 2025 19:40
,
Kieran Jackson
1. Lando Norris
2. Lewis Hamilton
3. George Russell
4. Oscar Piastri
5. Kimi Antonelli
6. Max Verstappen
7. Charles Leclerc
8. Isack Hadjar
9. Yuki Tsunoda
10. Gabriel Bortoleto
Lando Norris quickest in FP3
Saturday 25 October 2025 19:32
,
Kieran Jackson
That stunner of a lap from Lando Norris takes top spot - and by a comfortable margin!
The McLaren driver set a 1:16:633 - 0.345 secs quicker than his nearest competitor, which is an improved showing from Lewis Hamilton.
George Russell nips in late to take third, five-tenths off, with Oscar Piastri in fourth and Kimi Antonelli fifth.
6-10: Verstappen, Leclerc, Hadjar, Tsunoda, Bortoleto
Verstappen on team radio:
Saturday 25 October 2025 19:28
,
Kieran Jackson
“Yeah no grip, front or rear.”
The Dutchman down in P6 right now...
Isack Hadjar on team radio:
Saturday 25 October 2025 19:26
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Kieran Jackson
“Pierre let me by, what is this guy doing? Idiot!”
The rookie not happy with his fellow Frenchman...
Norris goes P1
Saturday 25 October 2025 19:24
,
Kieran Jackson
OK - that’s a real statement from Norris.
He goes fastest by three-tenths to Lewis Hamilton with a 1:16:633 - and that’s six-tenths faster than Oscar Piastri in third.
Final laps coming in now...
Lewis Hamilton quickest
Saturday 25 October 2025 19:20
,
Kieran Jackson
This is setting up for a brilliant qualifying session!
Lewis Hamilton is at the top with a 1:16:978, two-tenths ahead of Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc in third.
10 minutes to go - and the track is ramping up now at the end of this session. Expect more times to tumble...
Alex Albon with a big lock-up
Saturday 25 October 2025 19:13
,
Kieran Jackson
Albon was setting personal bests before locking off and going off track four corners from the end!
Most of the cars coming back out now as they set their qualifying simulaton laps with 15 mins to go!
Russell now on top
Saturday 25 October 2025 19:11
,
Kieran Jackson
From struggling earlier in the session, Russell is now P1 with a 1:17:892 - 0.123 secs quicker than Lando Norris in second.
3-10: Sainz, Verstappen, Leclerc, Hadjar, Tsunoda, Albon, Antonelli, Hamilton
20 mins left in FP3...
Hadjar not happy with the traffic in the stadium section
Saturday 25 October 2025 19:05
,
Kieran Jackson
Some choice words from Isack Hadjar as he heads into the hairpin! #F1 #MexicoGP pic.twitter.com/IqH50wLKrF
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 25, 2025
Top-10 in FP3 after 30 mins
Saturday 25 October 2025 19:00
,
Kieran Jackson
1. Norris
2. Sainz
3. Russell
4. Verstappen
5. Leclerc
6. Tsunoda
7. Albon
8. Hadjar
9. Lawson
10. Piastri
Norris quickest after first runs
Saturday 25 October 2025 18:58
,
Kieran Jackson
It’s tight - but it’s Norris who is top dog right now!
Sainz is in second, 0.013 secs behind, with Verstappen just 0.036 off.
Very tight!
Russell, meanwhile, struggling to get the tyres working on his Mercedes - he’s down in P17!
Stroll and Alonso out on track
Saturday 25 October 2025 18:34
,
Kieran Jackson
The two Aston Martin cars - who are separated by just five points incidentally - are hte only cars out on track in the first five minutes.
No lap times set as of yet..
Third practice underway
Saturday 25 October 2025 18:30
,
Kieran Jackson
As is commonplace, not loads of activity from the start in FP3 - as the drivers go through their usual 50-minute run plans.
Plenty of Argentine fans in the crowd at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez..
FP3 coming up
Saturday 25 October 2025 18:25
,
Kieran Jackson
Third and final hour of practice coming up then!
Can McLaren make any gains on Max Verstappen, pace-setter last night?
1997 F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve on McLaren 'pressure'
Saturday 25 October 2025 17:42
,
Kieran Jackson
"Both McLaren drivers are under pressure actually and neither has reacted super well to pressure,” he said, in association with Vision4Sport.
"Piastri has got quite a decent lead, but as we have seen in the last few races, the pressure has really got to him for some reason.
"But Lando did not profit from it as much as he could and should have. He didn't make the most of the situation.
"But the problem is that Verstappen is getting closer and closer and Verstappen is the one that you don't want bearing down on you. You don't want him breathing down your neck, hot on your heels."
Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies
Saturday 25 October 2025 14:00
,
Kieran Jackson
On Lindblad: “All the teams lost GPS for a bit for the session. We left Arvid on the lowish fuel, not to give him complications. He did a very good job, it’s hard to jump in, the pace is there.”
On upgrades: “We have a couple of things, new bits, there’s some tweaking here for car cooling and brakes.”
On title fight: “We still take it race by race, an unbelievable weekend in Austin, it’s very difficult to win races, Max did a mega weekend, it gives a further incentive to all of us. We don’t look at the championship, we look at it session by session.”
Speaking to Sky Sports