Mexico City GP: Lando Norris shrugs off boos after victory sees him re-take championship lead

McLaren driver led from start to finish to take a crucial win in the title race

McLaren's British driver Lando Norris celebrates after winning the Mexico City Formula One Grand Prix at the Hermanos Rodriguez racetrack. AFP

Lando Norris shrugged off the jeers of the Mexican crowd on Sunday as he produced a commanding drive to reclaim the Formula One championship lead from McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri at the Mexico City Grand Prix.

The Briton, starting from pole at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, led from start to finish to take a crucial win in the title race – his fifth of the season – and move one point clear of Piastri at the top of the standings. But instead of cheers, his post-race celebrations were accompanied by a chorus of boos from sections of the local fans.

“People can do what they want, honestly. They have the right to do it,” Norris said with a wry smile when asked about the reaction. “I don’t know why I can’t stop laughing when I get booed. I think it makes it more entertaining for me. Of course, I’d prefer if people cheer for me, but I just focus on doing my job.”

The reason for the crowd’s hostility was unclear, though Mexican media speculated it could stem from comments Norris made last year about home favourite Sergio Perez, or frustration from some fans who believe McLaren have favoured him in his duel with Piastri.

A Mexican journalist suggested to Norris that a poll run by his publication had asked readers what the Briton should do about the Italian Grand Prix controversy earlier this year, when team orders reversed positions between him and Piastri. The most popular answer: “Return the three points.”

The Italian race saw Norris regain second place from Piastri after a slow pit stop cost him the lead – the opposite of Hungary last season, where Norris had been told to let Piastri through to win.

“As a team, we always try to be fair,” Norris replied. “Like Oscar deserved the win in Budapest, I deserved to be ahead at Monza. Simple as that.”

While the off-track noise surrounded Norris, on track his performance was beyond reproach. Controlling the race from lights to flag, he never looked threatened as he executed a clean two-stop strategy and pulled clear of the chasing pack.

Behind him, Max Verstappen took third after a resilient drive for Red Bull, though the Dutchman admitted he was not expecting to finish on the podium after qualifying only fifth.

Verstappen’s race came alive in the closing laps after switching to soft tyres, but a virtual safety car on the penultimate lap – caused by Carlos Sainz spinning his Williams – halted his pursuit of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc for second.

“Sometimes the safety car works for you, sometimes it doesn’t,” said the four-time world champion. “It would’ve been fun to go for it at the end, maybe a bit more fun for me than for Charles defending. But still, it was a good race considering where we started.”

Verstappen’s result trimmed his deficit to the McLarens at the top of the standings to 36 points, with four rounds remaining.

For Piastri, a fifth-place finish was enough to stay firmly in the title hunt despite surrendering the championship lead. The Australian’s afternoon began poorly when he dropped to ninth after a chaotic first lap and further slipped to 11th following his first pit stop. But a well-timed second stop and an aggressive final stint saw him climb back into contention before the late virtual safety car robbed him of the chance to challenge Haas’s Oliver Bearman for fourth.

“It wasn’t so much the pace of the car because it was pretty quick,” Piastri said. “It was more about unlocking it, and I felt like I made some steps in doing that today. I’ve had to drive differently the last couple of weekends – or not differently when I should have – and that’s been strange to adjust to. But today felt like progress.”

For McLaren, the sight of both drivers in the top five underscored their growing dominance in a season increasingly defined by the internal battle between their two young stars.

Norris, now back in front, played down any notion of discord. “We’re both fighting hard, but we both know what’s best for the team,” he said. “There’s respect between us – that’s what matters most.”