Norris surprises in Mexico qualifying: pole position ahead of Leclerc!

Norris surprises in Mexico qualifying: pole position ahead of Leclerc!

On October 26, 2025, McLaren's Lando Norris spectacularly secured pole position during qualifying for the Mexican Grand Prix. Norris clearly set himself apart from the competition and secured first place on the grid with a time of 1:03.971. This is his fifth pole position this season and the first for McLaren in Mexico since 1990, when Gerhard Berger took pole for the team. Norris expressed his surprise at his extraordinary performance: "What a round. I don't even know how I did it." oe24 reports that he had a lead of 0.262 seconds over Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who took second place. Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton starts from third place, 0.352 seconds behind.

Max Verstappen, the reigning world champion from Red Bull, was unable to join the top ranks with a fifth place, 0.484 seconds behind. Oscar Piastri, the world championship leader, will start the race from seventh place, 0.588 seconds behind. Piastri struggled with drivetrain problems during one lap of qualifying and found himself in 10th place before improving to seventh at the crucial moment. Carlos Sainz from Williams will start five places further back due to a penalty, which makes the starting position for the race even more exciting.

Qualifying details

The qualifying itself was characterized by numerous exciting moments. In the second qualifying round (Q2), Hadjar was one of the first drivers to take to the track. All drivers chose soft tires, with Norris setting the fastest time of 1:16.252, beating Charles Leclerc by 0.406 seconds. Thanks to a strong team performance, both Haas drivers were able to make it into the top 10. While Hamilton was able to improve to second place over the course of qualifying, George Russell made it to third position. Formula 1 reports, that the final minutes were marked by the dramatic elimination of Lawson, who was unable to deliver a valid round.

Norris’ dominant performance in Mexico cannot be viewed in isolation. His performance is also aided by his McLaren team's upgrades and the track conditions. His speed and confidence were the result of intensive training, which was reflected in every session of the weekend except FP1. In Q3 he left the rest of the starting grid behind and did not give his pursuers any significant distance. Motorsport magazine highlights, that his lead of 0.521 seconds over Leclerc represents the largest gap this season and shows how well Norris is finding his way around the track.

Overall, it remains to be seen whether Norris can confirm his strong performance in Sunday's race. With McLaren's return to old strength and impressive form, things could definitely get exciting.