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MEXICO MASTERCLASS: LANDO NORRIS TAKES CONTROL OF THRILLING CHAMPIONSHIP

Lando Norris dominates the Mexico GP, taking a commanding win over Charles Leclerc. The victory propels him back to the top of the F1 world championship, leading teammate Oscar Piastri by a single point.

Mexico masterclass: Lando Norris takes control of thrilling championship
Lando Norris sealed top spot on the grid for McLaren at Sunday’s Mexico City Grand Prix - AFP via Getty Images

Lando Norris easily defeated McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri by one point at the Mexico Grand Prix, regaining the lead in the Formula 1 world championship.

Charles Leclerc finished second, and Max Verstappen finished last on the podium as Norris effortlessly dominated the rest of the field in his commanding McLaren.

While Piastri only started ninth, Norris had the opportunity to close the 14-point gap on him by securing his sixth pole of the season.

The primary battle was behind the poleman, but Norris was able to maintain his advantage despite the lengthy run as cars sped down to Turn 1.

Lewis Hamilton and Leclerc of Ferrari walked side by side before starting fifth. On the outside, Verstappen made it three-wide. The sole driver in the lead who started on mediums rather than softs, the Red Bull driver, ran out of space and landed on the grass in the runoff area.

Leclerc also took the lead by cutting Turn 2, but he judiciously returned the position to Norris. Verstappen lost the third back to Hamilton.

Verstappen slammed Hamilton into Turn 1 on lap six, resulting in a brief collision between the two drivers, with Verstappen crashing through the Turn 2 grass. Oliver Bearman, an opportunistic Haas rookie who had gotten off to a fast start from tenth place, picked Verstappen off as their battle continued into Turn 4, where Hamilton locked up and slid wide.
Russell lost the battle and fell to seventh place behind teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli, while Piastri momentarily overtook Yuki Tsunoda's second Red Bull before taking seventh place back.

The British driver was given a 10-second penalty after the stewards decided that Hamilton had unfairly benefited from falling off at Turn 4. Hamilton fell to the rear of the battle he was in after taking his penalty at the first pit stop around lap 24.

Leclerc, who was not in danger of finishing second until the very end of the race, was easily overtaken by Norris at the front.

Verstappen continued to use his alternate tactic on mediums, initially falling behind the other five competitors.

Bearman was able to defend against Antonelli, Russell, and Piastri and secure an unexpected podium spot as a result.

Being positioned between his teammate and a charging Piastri and still being asked to take care of his tyres infuriated Russell. The Briton finally got his request to switch places in his pursuit of Bearman after a protracted back-and-forth.

However, Piastri, who was also stranded behind the Bearman train, chose to switch to a two-stop strategy with an additional halt for softs, adding another wrinkle to that midfield struggle. Piastri made the undercut move on Antonelli to finish sixth, still clear of Bearman and Russell, but Bearman and the Mercedes cars all replied.

Verstappen stayed out and unexpectedly re-emerged in third place behind Norris and Leclerc after his competitors' two-stop worked out so well. Verstappen easily held off Bearman by 14 seconds despite being on older softs. He then turned his attention to Leclerc, who was nearing the finish of his race on slower medium tyres.

With two circuits remaining, Verstappen duly caught Leclerc, but the positions were frozen by a virtual safety car for Carlos Sainz's injured Williams. Verstappen had exhausted all of his options for overtaking by the time the VSC was pulled on the last lap.

After defeating Leclerc and Verstappen by 30 seconds, Norris secured his sixth victory of the year and took the lead in the championship for the first time in six months.

After a thrilling effort in the Haas, Bearman finished in fourth place, his career-best finish behind Leclerc and Verstappen.

On lap 60, Piastri also moved down the inside of Turn 1 to pass Russell's other Mercedes for fifth place. Mercedes reversed its position swap as a result, enabling Antonelli to pass his more seasoned teammate and finish sixth.

After his penalty eliminated him from contention, Hamilton ended in a far-off eighth place. In ninth place, Esteban Ocon capped a fantastic day for Haas, while in tenth place, Gabriel Bortoleto secured Sauber's final point.

Three drivers retired from the race, as Fernando Alonso's terrible 2025 luck persisted because of a possible brake problem. Nico Hulkenberg experienced a power problem, and Liam Lawson was forced to retire following contact on the first lap.

Verstappen is currently 36 points behind Norris, who leads Piastri by one point going into the final four races.

THE 2026 ULTIMATUM: WHY NEXT SEASON IS "MAKE OR BREAK" FOR LEWIS HAMILTON

After a winless 2025 debut, Lewis Hamilton faces a pivotal year. See why Steiner believes the 7x champ is nearing the F1 exit.

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Hamilton’s exit clock is ticking

Guenther Steiner, who used to run the Haas team, thinks Lewis Hamilton might quit Formula 1 if Ferrari can't get to the top of the Driver's Championship by 2026—he thinks that season will be super important for the racing star.

Hamilton had a tough first year with Ferrari, ending up sixth in the F1 rankings with 156 points.

That was 86 points behind his teammate, Charles Leclerc, and he didn't even get on the podium once, which is a first for him in a full season.

He often said he was bummed out about how his Ferrari debut was going.

Back in November, after the Las Vegas Grand Prix, he told Sky Sports, I feel awful. This has been the worst season ever, and it just keeps getting worse no matter how hard I try. I'm trying everything I can, both in and out of the car.

Hamilton looked pretty sad a lot during the season because he couldn't really fight for race wins.

Steiner told Sports Krone, I think if Ferrari has a good car next season, Hamilton might be able to turn things around. If they are more competitive, Lewis might find his drive again. But if things stay the same, next season will probably be his last in Formula 1. He's not going to go through that again. The situation is tough for him, and you could see that in every interview. So, the next season will be key for him.

What's Hamilton saying about quitting?

When the media asks Hamilton about his F1 future, he doesn't want to talk about retiring.

At the end of the season, when someone asked him what he would say to those who think he might retire soon, the 40-year-old said, I wouldn't say anything to them. None of them have done what I've done, so they don't know anything more than I do.

Last summer, after some rumors that he might leave early, Hamilton said he's staying at Ferrari until his contract is up.

He said, For those writing stories about me thinking about not racing, I've just started here with Ferrari. I've been here for a few years, and I'm in it for the long run, so there's no question about what I'm focused on achieving with this team. There are zero doubts, so please stop making stuff up.

In 2026, everyone will still be wondering about Hamilton's future in F1, mainly if Ferrari keeps struggling with the new rules. And if Steiner is right, another year of not competing for a championship could be the end for him.

MAX VERSTAPPEN NAMED PEER-VOTED DRIVER OF THE YEAR FOR FIFTH CONSECUTIVE SEASON

Max Verstappen wins his 5th straight F1 peer award, beating champion Lando Norris. Lewis Hamilton drops out of the top 10 for the first time.

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Verstappen Wins Fifth Straight Peer Award

Max Verstappen copped his fifth straight driver-of-the-year award in Formula 1's secret peer vote, even though he almost grabbed a fifth title in 2025 but didn't quite make it.

The drivers all voted in secret, except for four guys. The Red Bull driver beat out Lando Norris, who just won the world championship, for the number one spot.

The voting worked like the normal F1 points system. Drivers ranked their top 10 rivals. Verstappen got 25 points from six votes to win.

Norris, who won his first championship after a crazy season, came in second in the driver rankings for the second year running.

The McLaren driver won the title after fighting off pressure from Verstappen and his teammate, Oscar Piastri, all season long.

George Russell took third, moving up one spot from last year. The Mercedes driver had a killer season with two wins and seven more podiums.

Piastri was fourth, up one spot, even though his championship hopes fizzled out near the end. The Aussie was leading by 34 points at one point before his performance dropped off.

Charles Leclerc finished fifth, down two spots, even though he got everything he could out of Ferrari's SF-25. The Monegasque driver had seven podiums during a tough season that saw Ferrari finish fourth.

Carlos Sainz held onto sixth after a great comeback at Williams. After a rough start, the Spaniard grabbed two podiums in a strong second half of the season.

Fernando Alonso jumped two spots to seventh, and the two-time world champion had some crazy drives in Aston Martin's AMR25.

Alex Albon took eighth after his best season with Williams, while rookies Oliver Bearman and Isack Hadjar rounded out the top 10, getting props for their awesome first seasons.

Pierre Gasly almost made the list, even with 10 Q3 appearances in Alpine's tricky A525.

Lewis Hamilton, who's won seven world championships, didn't show up in the rankings, which is a first since they started doing this poll. It shows how rough his first season at Ferrari was.

The four drivers who skipped the vote were Hamilton, Nico Hulkenberg, Lance Stroll, and Yuki Tsunoda.

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