Formula 1 is on fire with four races left: Norris dominated the Mexican GP and is the new leader, one point ahead of Piastri.

It all happened at the Formula 1 Mexican Grand Prix : a start with cars off track, a fight for positions, changes in strategy when it came to thinking about the tires, phenomenal attacks and a virtual safety car to finish, allowing Evander Holyfield to lower the checkered flag. And then came the celebration for Lando Norris , who won by a landslide with his McLaren and is the new championship leader , one point ahead of his teammate Oscar Piastri , who finished fifth. The final round is on in the top flight , with four races left to run.

"It's wonderful and incredible to have won in Mexico for the first time. I have to take it one weekend at a time. I'm happy and focused on myself. I keep my head down and think about myself," said Norris, who won his tenth race.

Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) and Max Verstappen (Red Bull) completed the podium, and 20-year-old Haas driver Oliver Bearman finished fourth, his career-best result. The best is yet to come in the Formula 1 finals.

The opening stretch of the race was a spectacle of maneuvering , with cars running close together and at least a quarter of the drivers driving more on the grass than on the asphalt. It was a crazy start. As soon as the lights went out, Norris got off to a good start, but Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton were right next to him, their tires brushing. And to top it all off, Verstappen went left with his left wheels hitting the curb. Something was going to happen at the first corner, and it did: Verstappen, wide .

George Russell immediately complained that the Dutchman had cut corners and returned to the track wherever he wanted, and they took note of the incident. At the second corner, Lance Stroll nearly collided with Franco Colapinto , who braked abruptly and spun, dropping him.

But that wasn't all, as Liam Lawson had to pit immediately to change his front wing. He returned to the track and then retired. The very person at risk of not having a seat in 2026.

Verstappen and Hamilton were immediately at loggerheads, and the Briton got even by going to the grass. But it wasn't that expensive. Russell was still on the radio protesting the lack of a penalty for Mad Max and was behind Kimi Antonelli . Piastri was faring worse, eighth on lap 13. Meanwhile, the young Bearman was having a field day: fourth after the early laps of tole-tole . In troubled waters, he had gained a lot of ground, even overtaking Verstappen.

On lap 16, the first penalty came: Hamilton received a 10-second time penalty for gaining ground without giving up his position. When the seven-time world champion was notified, the usual whistle sounded to drown out the insults over the radio. It was perfectly normal. And just as he entered the pits to change tires and serve his penalty, the stewards decided on lap 24 that there would be no penalty for the duel with Max at the first corner.

The adrenaline returned to the circuit with the start of the tire change, and Sainz exceeded his speed on the pit lane and received a 5-second penalty. Hulkenberg was the second to retire, Bearman was still firmly ahead, and the top three still had to pit . The Alpines, well back even without changing tires, were pitiful . Alonso became the third to retire, right in the middle of the race. And when Verstappen pitted , Bearman—yes, Bearman!—was third.

Norris continued his run at the front, followed by Leclerc, and with Piastri unable to overtake the Mercedes, the Briton led the drivers' championship by just three points. But suddenly, the unexpected happened: the two-stop strategy was implemented, and the first to execute it were Russell, Bearman, and Piastri. Almost at the same time, Colapinto was sent to the pits to change from the hard tires used at the start to the soft ones.

Piastri got a bit of a breath of fresh air when he finally overtook Russell on lap 60, losing the championship lead by just one point. "The whole race I was behind someone and struggling with the dirty air, so it was quite difficult. Obviously, when your teammate wins the race, finishing fifth isn't so outlandish," the Australian resigned himself.

Meanwhile, Verstappen was getting closer and closer to Leclerc for second place. With every lap, the charge was frantic, just as Colapinto was closing in on Gasly.

But just when Mad Max looked set to take second, the virtual safety car arrived, and the finish was nothing more than a parade for the fans. "It was a difficult weekend for us, but to be fighting for second place with everything that happened in the first few laps is a very good result ," said Verstappen.

Norris leads with 357 points, followed by Piastri with 356 and Verstappen with 321. There are four Grands Prix remaining: the Sao Paulo Grand Prix on November 9; the Las Vegas Grand Prix on November 22; the Qatar Grand Prix on November 30; and the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 7.