F1 Mexico City GP 2025 highlights: Lando on pole, trailed by two Ferraris

The qualifying session for the 2025 Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix saw Lando Norris secure a crucial pole position, delivering a major boost to his championship challenge. The driver secured his fifth pole of the season with a monster lap in Q3, finding significant pace on his final run to leap ahead of the Ferraris. The pole is a huge moment in the title fight, especially with his main rivals starting further back.

There has been a notable change and improvement for Ferrari, particularly in qualifying for the 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc showed strong pace, briefly holding provisional pole after the first runs in Q3. He secured a front-row start, which is a great result for the team. Lewis Hamilton delivered his best qualifying performance since joining Ferrari this season, putting both red cars in the top three. This was the first time this season that both Ferrari drivers qualified in the top three.

Team principal Fred Vasseur indicated that the improved performance was not due to any new car upgrades brought to the race, but rather from better execution, better processes and extracting more performance from the existing car. The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez circuit in Mexico is known to suit the Ferrari car's characteristics well, as evidenced by their previous win there.

Championship impact

Oscar Piastri claimed P8 in qualifying but will start on P7 today! He struggled with pace throughout the session, finishing almost six-tenths behind his teammate Norris. He admitted it was a frustrating session, saying he lacked pace and that the struggle has been a mystery.

This disappointing result puts him at a disadvantage relative to Lando, though he gains one place on the grid due to Sainz's penalty. Carlos Sainz qualified 7th but has a 5-place grid penalty, meaning the drivers behind him move up one position on the starting grid.

Max Verstappen had a difficult session and was unable to challenge the front-runners, qualifying nearly half a second off Norris's pole time. He reported stability issues with the car. P5 is his worst starting position in Mexico since 2015, which is a setback in his hunt to close the championship gap.

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