Flying back across the Atlantic this morning, Lando Norris will be extremely satisfied with his fortnight’s work. How could he not be? If you’d offered him 43 out of 58 possible points before the two races in Austin and Mexico City, he’d have bitten your hand off. Add the cherry on top of a one-point championship lead, and the Briton would scarcely have believed the turn of events that has unfolded. And it turns out, the punters tend not to like a winner.
Mexico City this past weekend was Norris’s best weekend in Formula One, if not his most popular. The 25-year-old, having not tasted victory since Hungary before the summer break, has been criticised for crumbling at the back end of qualifying this season. Yet amid scorching temperatures at a circuit located 2,240 metres above sea level, Norris executed a near-perfect lap.
At one of the calendar’s shortest tracks, Norris sealed pole with a gap of 0.262 seconds to second-placed Charles Leclerc. In F1 terms, that’s considerable. As for the margin of 0.588 seconds over his McLaren teammate and title rival Oscar Piastri? Positively mammoth.
Armed with a rapid car in clean air, once Norris negotiated the lengthy run to turn one at the start, his sailing off into the sunset was inevitable. But the boos directed his way from the vociferous fans in the famous Foro Sol stadium section, on the podium and in his post-race interview, were not something many would have predicted. No build-up, no motive, no clue.
“I can’t stop laughing when I get booed,” Norris said, treating the bewildering jeers with the derision they deserve. “Who knows? I just concentrate on doing my thing. If they want to continue, they can.”
A local journalist noted that it could be McLaren’s arguable favouritism towards the Brit over his Australian rival that triggered the unprompted chorus, with perhaps the pair being told to swap positions in Monza last month most present in the memory bank.
“Sure, if they want to think that, they can do whatever they want,” Norris responded. “For us as a team, we tried to do things fairly. Same with last year in Budapest – I let Oscar win the race he deserved to win.
“If they want to have the three points back, they can. Oscar deserved the win in Budapest; I deserved the win [swap] in Monza.”
No matter. Norris did his talking on track, on a weekend that saw no let-up in the baffling collapse of Piastri’s form and confidence. A gap that stood at 22 heading into this North American double header has flipped by 23 points in Norris’s favour. For the first time in 189 days, dating back to race five in Saudi Arabia, Norris is top of the standings.
It is another twist in an F1 title race that has been puzzling to understand and predict. Before this weekend, it was all steam ahead with the Max Verstappen comeback train. Having won three of the last four races, the Dutchman had narrowed the deficit to 40 points and appeared to hold all the momentum. But, suddenly bogged down by a lack of speed in qualifying, Verstappen was always playing catch-up on Sunday this time around.
TOP-3 - F1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Naturally, he recovered well, finishing in third – two places higher than his grid position – and, if not for a late virtual safety car, he could have snatched second from Leclerc. His two-place improvement from qualifying was a feat matched by Piastri, who ended up in fifth. Post-race, the Australian gave some rare detail regarding his current issues.
“It was pretty obvious there were some things I needed to change dramatically with the way I’m driving,” he said. “I’ve just had to drive very differently. That’s been strange to get my head around.
“These last couple of weekends, the car and tyres have required a different way of driving. Given how the pace has differentiated, clearly Lando has found it easier to dial into that, and I haven’t. It’s more about adding some tools to the toolbox.”
Fascinatingly, the detail is cryptically un-detailed. After qualifying, Piastri admitted he was flummoxed by his lap time and could point to no clear explanation. This McLaren car hasn’t received an upgrade in months, which in part explains why Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari have all closed in on the team in recent races.
Yet the papaya-laden machinery is still the consistent No 1; the fact that it’s Norris who has unlocked the speed should be a cause for concern for Piastri and his manager, ex-F1 driver Mark Webber.
Yet Mexico has set a clear platform and basis for the remaining four races in camp Norris. His dial-in was slow and steady across the practice sessions, peaking when it mattered most in Q3. And, on the whole, if he can conclude lap one of the grand prix in the lead, it will take some twists and turns to stop him.
“My best performance across a whole weekend,” Norris said. “The last few have been decent, but there is still a long way to go, so I have to try and keep doing what I am doing.”
Up next, a rest. Brazil in a fortnight – and the usual chaos and carnage at Interlagos – could well provide another turning point. A passionate crowd will greet the drivers there, too, likely in support of Verstappen, who won so sensationally last year. Yet if Norris can keep this momentum, launching a streak of Lando 2.0, his first world title may well be looming into view.
