Dubai: McLaren driver Lando Norris’ second-place finish ahead of Championship leader Max Verstappen’s sixth place in the Formula One Mexico City Grand Prix has all but ensured that the title race will go down to the wire, with the stage set for a thrilling climax in Abu Dhabi.
With just 47 points separating the top two drivers — Verstappen and Norris — and Brazil, Las Vegas and Qatar to go before the finale at the Yas Marina Circuit on December 8, at least a total of 120 points are still up for grabs in the remaining four races. This means the road to the world drivers’ championship is firmly heading towards the Yas Marina Circuit.
Verstappen’s struggles open the door for rivals
Three-time champion Verstappen remains in pole position with 362 points, holding a 47-point advantage — cut from 57 in Mexico — over British driver Norris. However, the Dutchman, who ahead of the Mexican Grand Prix announced his intentions to remain at Red Bull until 2028 despite the struggles on and off the track this season, has not won in 10 of his last starts. Additionally, two 10-second penalties imposed by the FIA for over-aggressive driving in two incidents with Norris during the race pushed him to sixth place in Mexico on Sunday.
In both incidents, Verstappen pushed Norris off the circuit, as he had in similar circumstances a week earlier at the United States Grand Prix in Austin. Verstappen started from second on the grid, alongside pole-sitter Carlos Sainz, and initially led the race before being overtaken by the Spaniard.
“I respect Max a lot as a driver, but it wasn’t very clean driving in my opinion,” Norris said. “I’m just keeping my head down, we’re doing good job as a team, focus on ourselves, that’s all I can do for now.”
Ferrari surge in Constructors’ Championship
The result also saw Ferrari overtake Red Bull to move up to second in the constructors’ championship, just 29 points behind leaders McLaren with four race weekends remaining. Verstappen acknowledged the penalties as “quite big” but expressed more concern over Red Bull’s loss of competitive pace.
Slower pace put Verstappen in difficult positions
“The problem is that when you’re slower, you are being put in those kinds of positions, and I’m not going to give up easily,” Verstappen said.
“At the end of the day, it’s not about agreeing or disagreeing about penalties… The only thing is, 20 seconds is quite a lot. But the biggest problem of today, and something that I worry about, is the race pace, which was really not good and something that we need to analyse. Even without those penalties, we had no chance at all to fight up front.”
Verstappen added that he was not too concerned about his lead being cut in the championship.
“I’m not worried,” he said. “This was just a really bad day for us, but I also know we can do much better than this, so we just keep going at it.”
Sainz and Ferrari build momentum
Sainz’s win in Mexico City was Ferrari’s second in two races after Leclerc triumphed in the United States Grand Prix, proving the team is on the rise under new team boss Fred Vasseur. For Sainz, it was a masterful victory that underscored his standing within the Ferrari team as his career with them nears its end. The win helped Ferrari move ahead of Red Bull in the constructors’ championship, now chasing McLaren for the top spot.
Sainz himself praised the support of the fans in Mexico. “Honestly, I really wanted this one; I needed it for myself, I wanted to get it done,” he said. “I’ve been saying for a while I wanted one more win before leaving Ferrari, and to do it here in front of this mega crowd is incredible. Now, four races left, and I want to enjoy it as much as possible, and if another one comes, I will go for it!”
Leclerc’s opportunistic approach
Leclerc, who finished third in Mexico on Sunday, had a different perspective on Verstappen’s penalties. As a Ferrari driver, he hopes to capitalise on the team’s strong form to overtake Norris in the drivers’ title race.
“I welcome Max being as aggressive to Lando as possible,” he said. “It helps me, at least it gives me a chance to get closer to Lando in the drivers’ title race because it is still a fight. If anything, it is more of a fight between me and Lando than with Max. I will just try to do my best to the end of the season and see.”
Abu Dhabi finale promises drama
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix has seen several titles decided on the last lap. The outcome of the next two races in Brazil and Las Vegas will provide a clearer picture as the longest race calendar in Formula One history nears its conclusion.
Mexico City Grand Prix results:
1. Carlos Sainz (ESP/Ferrari) 1hr 40min 55.800sec, 2. Lando Norris (GBR/McLaren-Mercedes) at 4.705, 3. Charles Leclerc (MON/Ferrari) at 34.387, 4. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) at 44.780, 5. George Russell (GBR/Mercedes) at 48.536, 6. Max Verstappen (Ned/Red Bull) at 59.558, 7. Kevin Magnussen (DEN/Haas) at 1:03.642, 8. Oscar Piastri (AUS/McLaren-Mercedes) at 1:04.928, 9. Nico Hulkenberg (GER/Haas) at 1 lap, 10. Pierre Gasly (FRA/Alpine-Renault) at 1 lap, 11. Lance Stroll (CAN/Aston Martin-Mercedes) at 1 lap, 12. Franco Colapinto (ARG/Williams) at 1 lap, 13. Esteban Ocon (FRA/Alpine-Renault) at 1 lap, 14. Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Sauber) at 1 lap, 15. Guanyu Zhou (CHN/Sauber) at 1 lap, 16. Liam Lawson (NZL/Racing Bulls-Red Bull) at 1 lap, 17. Sergio Perez (MEX/Red Bull) at 1 lap.
Fastest lap: Charles Leclerc (MON/Ferrari) 1:18.336 (275.873km/h).
Did not finish: Alexander Albon (THA/Williams-Mercedes), Yuki Tsunoda (JPN/Racing Bulls-Red Bull), Fernando Alonso (ESP/Aston Martin-Mercedes)
Overall world championship standings:
Drivers:
1. Max Verstappen (Ned) 362 pts, 2. Lando Norris (GBR) 315, 3. Charles Leclerc (MON) 291, 4. Oscar Piastri (AUS) 251, 5. Carlos Sainz (ESP) 240, 6. Lewis Hamilton (GBR) 189, 7. George Russell (GBR) 177, 8. Sergio Perez (MEX) 150, 9. Fernando Alonso (ESP) 62, 10. Nico Hulkenberg (GER) 31, 11. Lance Stroll (CAN) 24, 12. Yuki Tsunoda (JPN) 22, 13. Kevin Magnussen (DEN) 14, 14. Alexander Albon (THA) 12, 15. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS) 12, 16. Pierre Gasly (FRA) 9, 17. Oliver Bearman (GBR) 7, 18. Franco Colapinto (ARG) 5, 19. Esteban Ocon (FRA) 5, 20. Liam Lawson (NZL) 2, 21. Zhou Guanyu (CHN) 0, 22. Logan Sargeant (USA) 0, 23. Valtteri Bottas (FIN) 0.
Constructors:
1. McLaren-Mercedes 566 pts, 2. Ferrari 537, 3. Red Bull 512, 4. Mercedes 366, 5. Aston Martin-Mercedes 86, 6. Haas 46, 7. Racing Bulls-Red Bull 36, 8. Williams 17, 9. Alpine-Renault 14, 10. Sauber-Ferrari 0.
