Motorsport Week examines why Lando Norris’ Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix win vindicated McLaren’s choice to banish the repercussions it handed to him.
When Lando Norris crossed the line to take pole position at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, it caused something of a stir. Not only did the Briton seize top spot on the grid by almost three tenths from Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, but his seismic lap – that surprised even him – was close to a whopping six tenths ahead of team-mate and championship rival Oscar Piastri.
It was something of an anomaly for Piastri, who was unable to explain the performance difference, and even more so given the huge gain the Australian has personally made in terms
of personal performance between 2024 and now. The last few weeks in the F1 world have been fraught with discussion about whether McLaren should prioritise one driver – presumably Piastri given his points advantage – to nullify the ever-growing threat of Max Verstappen behind him and Norris and the championship race.
So much so that it was even asked to many drivers during a riveting media day on Thursday. Another topic that day was how the Woking-based squad had lifted the so-called ‘repercussions’ that were handed to Norris after his brush with Piastri in Singapore. Given that Piastri – albeit via Nico Hulkenberg’s Sauber – inadvertently took out Norris in the Austin Sprint, it gave enough equilibrium to give McLaren the feeling that all was equal again, and it was another clean slate.
“We’ve gone through it again, we go through every weekend regardless of what’s happened,” Piastri told media including Motorsport Week. “I think there is a degree of responsibility from
my side in the Sprint, and we’re starting this weekend with a clean slate for both of us.” Asked whether the term “clean slate” meant McLaren had removed the repercussions against
Norris, Piastri replied: “Yes, the consequences on Lando’s side have been removed.”
Norris victory puts him in the driving seat with McLaren sitting pretty
Meanwhile, Stella admitted that Verstappen’s threat and McLaren’s desire to ensure it seals an elusive title double also played a role in the team’s decision to abolish the consequences.
“As usual, we review things, team, drivers, in a very open way, in a very constructive way,” he said. “We thought the best approach moving forward was to start with a clean slate and focus in the only direction on which we want to focus: to make sure that the championship is papaya. All the rest is less important and there’s somebody that is coming with great momentum. Our mission is to stop this momentum and bring back the momentum to the papaya side.”
Despite that, there would always naturally be many opinions of the priority case being made, as the Verstappen locomotive was looking like it was going to continually derail the papaya train. The Dutchman had been faultless since Zandvoort, and with three wins, it begged the question that perhaps the principles that Stella and McLaren CEO Zak Brown have espoused so frequently throughout 2025 should be thrown out of the window like a tear-away visor.
But when Piastri wound-up eighth on the Mexico grid – moved up to seventh through Carlos Sainz’s grid penalty – perhaps, in some way of other, Stella might have felt caused to breathe a
sigh of relief in the heady high altitude air of Mexico City, given that the gap between him and Norris was, in a way, ridding him of the problem of another potential intra-team collision, furthered by Verstappen’s mediocre fifth place, behind both Ferraris and George Russell.
That was cemented when Norris nailed the start to remain unopposed on the long run down to Turn 1 while chaos ensued behind him, culminating in Piastri dropping two spots to ninth. With clean air ahead, Norris delivered on the searing pace he showed during the long runs in Friday’s second practice session to take a dominant victory, his first since July’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
But while he has had to wait a while to stand on the top step again, Norris has been the superior McLaren driver ever since an oil leak condemned him to a retirement at Zandvoort. That had dropped him to 34 points behind Piastri and, when Verstappen recorded back-to back victories at Monza and Baku, threatened to leave him being cast into a supporting role within McLaren. However, Norris, who expressed at the time that he had nothing to lose and could relax with his championship bid having experienced a seismic blow, has rallied to claw back that points loss.
Now, with four rounds to go, the momentum is with Norris as he chases a coveted maiden title.
READ MORE – Max Verstappen responds to Lewis Hamilton’s ‘double standards’ claim after F1 Mexico GP penalty
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