Overview
- Lando Norris dominated qualifying at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, beating Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton to pole by roughly three tenths.
- Max Verstappen will start fifth and said Red Bull lacks race pace this weekend despite his recent run of victories that has closed the title gap.
- Oscar Piastri struggled through qualifying, setting the eighth-fastest time but moving up to seventh on the grid due to Carlos Sainz’s five-place penalty.
- The standings show Piastri leading Norris by 14 points with Norris 26 clear of Verstappen, giving Norris a prime chance in Mexico to cut or overturn his deficit.
- McLaren continues to refuse a number-one designation between Norris and Piastri despite recent on-track run-ins and contentious calls, with Andrea Stella saying any change would come only if the math requires it.