Lando Norris says his commanding victory at the Mexico City Grand Prix has strengthened his belief that he can win his first Formula 1 world title this season.
The Briton led from start to finish to reclaim the championship lead for the first time since April, when McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri took it from him after winning in Saudi Arabia. Norris’ triumph continued a strong run of form that has seen him recover 35 points on Piastri in five races since retiring from the Dutch Grand Prix in August.
“It gives me confidence,” Norris said. “One race performing well I don’t think means anything. Two, three or four in a row does, so I think the last few months I’ve been good.”
The 25-year-old was in complete control throughout the weekend, despite giving up his car to Mexican IndyCar driver Pato O’Ward in first practice. He returned for second practice and was immediately on pace, before taking pole with one of the standout laps of the season.
In the race, Norris avoided early chaos behind and only briefly lost the lead when Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc cut a corner while battling Lewis Hamilton. Once Leclerc handed the place back, Norris pulled away to win comfortably.
“In a way, I think it’s just my best performance through a whole weekend,” he said. “All my laps in qualifying, all my practice, all my race.”
Norris has endured a challenging season, struggling earlier in the year to adapt to a McLaren that did not suit his driving style. After a front suspension tweak at the Canadian Grand Prix, he began to regain confidence, winning four times since June compared with Piastri’s two.
“When the car was winning and Oscar was winning, the last thing I could do was use the excuse that my car wasn’t good enough,” Norris admitted. “I wasn’t getting to grips and finding a way to make it work, and I’m finding a better way now.”
Piastri, meanwhile, has suffered a dip in form since his win at Zandvoort. The Australian crashed multiple times in Baku, struggled in Singapore, and has been off the pace in the United States and Mexico, where he qualified nearly six-tenths behind Norris.
“Driving the way I’ve had to drive these last couple of weekends is not particularly natural for me,” Piastri said. “Trying to wrap my head around why has been a bit of a struggle.”
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella believes the difference lies in driving style. “Lando excels in low-grip conditions, whereas Oscar tends to perform better when grip levels are higher,” he explained. “There is no reason to think the final four races will favour one driver over the other.”
Stella added that McLaren’s confidence had grown: “We have proven that we have a car that can win races and in some conditions dominate them. That is the most important factor to allow Lando and Oscar to pursue the drivers’ championship.”
As for Max Verstappen, who finished third behind Norris and Leclerc, the defending champion admitted McLaren’s pace was humbling. “I lost ten points to Lando,” he said. “Everything needs to go perfect to win, and this weekend didn’t go perfect.”
Norris, however, remains grounded. “Max has still caught me over the last six or seven weekends,” he said. “I’ve been keeping my head down, keeping focus, doing my own thing. Every weekend’s new, every weekend’s different, and there’s still a long way to go.”
