2025 Mexico City GP Qualifying: Norris Storms to Pole as McLaren Take Control

Lando Norris delivered a statement lap under the thin skies of Mexico City, seizing pole position for Sunday’s 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix with a breathtaking 1:15.586. The McLaren driver outpaced Charles Leclerc by 0.262s and Lewis Hamilton by 0.352s in a dramatic Qualifying session at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, strengthening his hand in the tightly poised 2025 F1 World Championship title fight.

After three practice sessions topped by three different drivers — Leclerc, Verstappen, and Norris — Qualifying looked set to be another unpredictable battle. Early signs pointed to Ferrari strength, with Leclerc grabbing provisional pole in Q3, but Norris’s second flying lap was a masterpiece. Hooking up every apex through Mexico’s twisty second sector, the Brit unleashed a near-perfect lap to secure his fourth pole of the season. His teammate Oscar Piastri, however, endured another frustrating session, finishing eighth and nearly eight-tenths slower than his McLaren rival.

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Hamilton’s P3 confirmed Ferrari’s continued resurgence, while George Russell took fourth for Mercedes after a smooth session. Max Verstappen, who had led FP2 but struggled to match the changing grip levels, settled for fifth. His Red Bull looked less comfortable in the high-downforce setup demanded by Mexico’s altitude, leaving the reigning champion with work to do on Sunday. Behind them, Kimi Antonelli impressed once again in sixth, continuing his remarkable rookie rise, followed by Carlos Sainz in seventh — though the Spaniard’s five-place grid penalty from Austin drops him to twelfth on the starting grid.

Piastri’s eighth place reflected McLaren’s mixed fortunes, while the standout of the day was Isack Hadjar, who qualified ninth for Racing Bulls after topping Q1 — an eye-catching display that reinforced his growing credentials. Ollie Bearman completed the top ten for Haas, another strong showing from one of F1’s next-generation stars.

2025 Mexico City GP Qualifying Results

2025 Mexico City Grand Prix Qualifying, 25 October 2025

How the Battle Unfolded

The session began with a frenetic Q1, where track evolution was rapid and rookies briefly stole the spotlight. Hadjar stunned the field by going fastest ahead of Hamilton and Norris, while both Aston Martins struggled — Lance Stroll aborting his final run and Fernando Alonso only just scraping into Q2. Among those eliminated early were Gabriel Bortoleto, Alex Albon, and the two Alpines of Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto.

Q2 saw Norris assert control, setting the pace with a 1:16.252 — over four-tenths clear of Leclerc — as Piastri battled mechanical gremlins, reporting “something weird” with his power unit. Hamilton and Russell locked out second and third, while Yuki Tsunoda narrowly missed the cut by just 0.014s. Esteban Ocon, Nico Hülkenberg, Fernando Alonso, and Liam Lawson also fell short, with Lawson failing to register a representative time.

When the top-10 shootout arrived, all eyes were on the title protagonists. Verstappen laid down the first marker, but his 1:16.455 was quickly beaten by both Norris and Leclerc — the latter’s 1:15.991 putting him briefly on provisional pole. As the clock wound down, the field launched into one final charge. Norris produced an immaculate lap — a purple sector two proving decisive — to snatch pole by a commanding margin. Leclerc improved but fell short, while Hamilton secured third to give Ferrari two cars inside the top three for the first time since Hungary.

Russell and Verstappen completed the top five, with Antonelli again outpacing his more experienced teammate in race simulations earlier in the weekend. Behind them, Sainz’s penalty promotes Piastri to seventh, with Hadjar and Bearman rounding out a youthful and dynamic top ten.

2025 Mexico City Grand Prix Starting Grid

The Grand Prix starting grid, with or without penalties, after the 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix Qualifying session.