Formula 1: Norris takes pole from Mexico – disaster for Piastri

As of: October 26, 2025 12:12 a.m

World champion Max Verstappen and championship leader Oscar Piastri had to admit defeat to Lando Norris in qualifying in Mexico.

Lando Norris took pole position at the Mexican Grand Prix and struck back in the Formula 1 title race. The English McLaren driver edged out the Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodriguez in 1:15.586 minutes; it was the 14th pole position for Norris in his career and the fifth this season.

“It’s nice to be on pole again. I felt good all day,” Norris said: “I’m here to win. I expect a fight, but I’m looking forward.” Norris has the best chance of making up ground on the competition and even taking the lead in the 20th race of the season on Sunday (from 9 p.m. in the live ticker on sportschau.de) in the Drivers’ World Championship.

Verstappen fifth, Piastri only seventh

World champion Max Verstappen finished fifth in the Red Bull, almost half a second behind. Things went even worse for Norris’ teammate Oscar Piastri: the World Cup leader, who has been in poor form for weeks, starts from seventh place. Nico Hülkenberg took 13th place on the grid in the Sauber. “It was a clean qualification, it felt like nothing more was possible”he said on Sky.

In the last qualifying section, Leclerc set the first exclamation mark with the interim best time. But then Norris turned up the heat and moved into first place with a final dream lap. The competition was no longer able to catch up.

Will Verstappen’s race to catch up continue?

This means Norris has a comfortable cushion between himself and his rivals – assuming everything goes according to plan at the start. Verstappen, who is only 40 points short of first place after his spectacular comeback in the last few weeks, can hope for a turbulent start. In the last two races in Mexico, the pole setters were unable to prevail.