The Mexican Grand Prix marked Lando Norris’s rise to the top of the world championship standings, closing a weekend in which McLaren once again showed its strength thanks to an exceptional performance from both the team and the driver. Ferrari also impressed, making the most of its modest SF-25 and taking advantage of Max Verstappen’s difficulties. This time, it was Red Bull that failed to exploit its full potential, preventing fans from seeing the true pace of the RB21.
McLaren is back
Lando Norris’s triumphant run in Mexico, ending nearly two months without victory for McLaren, perfectly demonstrates that the superiority of the MCL39 in 2025 is not only due to the car itself but also to the people who bring it to life on track — starting with the drivers. In Mexico, Norris executed everything flawlessly, beginning with the race start, the only potentially critical moment. From there, it was a dominant performance for the new championship leader, with a car that seemed unaffected by the weekend’s extreme temperatures.
Beyond excellent tyre management, McLaren impressed with the efficiency of its cooling system despite having one of the tightest bodyworks on the grid, a sign of advanced technology that will become even more crucial under the 2026 regulations. However, McLaren’s return to dominance was also the result of impeccable team preparation, finding the perfect setup to achieve total harmony between driver and car. “I pushed hard into every braking zone,” Norris said after taking pole position on Saturday, showing a clear confidence in the front end that he had been missing earlier this season. “Just a few weekends ago in Singapore, it felt like the start of the year again. I couldn’t feel the front, I didn’t have the confidence, and I wasn’t able to do what I managed to do today.”
Things went less smoothly for Oscar Piastri in Mexico. According to team principal Andrea Stella, both in Austin and in Mexico City, the Australian struggled with low-grip conditions that require a different way of handling the car — an area he is still learning to master. If that is the case, Piastri could bounce back quickly in Brazil, but his difficulties once again highlight the importance of the human factor behind McLaren’s success.
Solid Ferrari
Ferrari celebrated its second consecutive podium, momentarily reclaiming second place in the Constructors’ Championship. The Scuderia had high hopes for the start, but Charles Leclerc’s slow getaway from the dirty side of the grid caused both Ferrari drivers to get in each other’s way, losing the slipstream of Norris. The checkered flag showed a 30-second gap to McLaren — a difficult result to swallow, yet one that confirmed Ferrari’s steady progress and smart race management, even with a car whose limitations have long been known.
The Maranello team showed that it is learning from past mistakes, opting for a conservative cooling configuration. The drivers still had to perform some lift-and-coast, but far less than in Singapore, despite the tough conditions caused by the heat and thin air of Mexico City. For Charles Leclerc, running almost entirely in clean air after securing second in qualifying made a big difference. Several factors explain Ferrari’s excellent qualifying result — Piastri and Verstappen’s struggles, solid driver performance, and strong setup work — but the greatest merit lies in tyre preparation. Managing the tyres on the out lap was particularly complex given the asphalt conditions, which caused problems for many others.
A negative note was the absence of Lewis Hamilton from the podium. His ambitions were dashed by a 10-second penalty that cost him dearly. The British driver seemed to lose composure after battling with Leclerc at the start and then made an error during his fight with Verstappen. Lewis Hamilton cut the chicane without returning the position and failed to rejoin via the prescribed route, earning a double penalty that his two-stop strategy only made worse.
Verstappen limits the damage
Max Verstappen still managed to secure a podium, thanks to a spectacular save at the start when he avoided retirement with a perfect counter-steer after running onto the grass. However, the Dutchman’s qualifying issues forced him to spend much of the race in traffic, making it harder to cool his RB21. The car’s temperatures rose to critical levels, and Max Verstappen repeatedly received instructions to lift and coast — a technique he has mastered over the years. His Red Bull also struggled to get the medium tyres into the right operating window due to an unusually dirty track, which Pirelli measured as having 5% less grip than last year.
As the laps went by, the benefits of Red Bull’s strong race pace work became visible, with Max Verstappen the only one to simulate long runs in Saturday’s practice. The reigning world champion managed to make the one-stop strategy work and even briefly threatened to take second place. By the end of the weekend, Max Verstappen had clawed back four points in the championship standings — a modest but valuable result. In Mexico, he was never fully happy with the car balance, describing it as “unpredictable” and complaining about a persistent lack of grip. The issue stemmed from difficulty generating tyre temperature in qualifying, made worse by setup choices that favored race pace over single-lap performance. While this will require further analysis, what’s clear is that the true Red Bull wasn’t seen in Mexico — and what Verstappen did see of McLaren was concerning.
Haas joy
Behind the top three, the midfield battle was lively and exciting. Pirelli’s tyre compound selection proved a success, pushing teams toward softer options and encouraging two-stop strategies. Among those who benefited most was the impressive Ollie Bearman. The young British driver built his weekend on a strong qualifying performance, showing not only his trademark one-lap speed but also excellent tyre preparation skills in extremely difficult conditions.
In the race, Bearman capitalized on every opportunity, maintaining a strong rhythm in clean air and delivering an impressive race pace. Esteban Ocon also finished in the points, confirming the progress of Haas, which introduced an important package of floor and bodywork upgrades in Texas just a week earlier. Thanks to this, the Italian-American team moved ahead of Sauber in the Constructors’ standings and now dreams of catching Aston Martin and Racing Bulls, just seven and ten points ahead respectively.
The points taken by Bearman forced Mercedes to once again relinquish second place in the Constructors’ Championship to Ferrari. Mexico was never expected to favor the Silver Arrows, but a slow pit stop for Andrea Kimi Antonelli and a position swap with George Russell cost them precious time. However, the team will have new opportunities to recover, starting with the upcoming Brazilian Grand Prix — where the Sprint format could once again shake up the order.
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