Mexico Grand Prix: Norris claims dominant win to lead drivers’ standings – as it happened
Giles Richards has filed his report on a hugely important race – and result – in the battle for the drivers’ championship:Max Verstappen also speaks to TV:“It was very hectic at the beginning of the race for me.I almost crashed.Everyone around me was on soft tyres and we were on medium, so it was a bit of a struggle.It was about surviving the first stint.Once we bolted on the softs I think we were a little bit more competitive and happier.
“It was a difficult weekend for us, but to be fighting for P2 with everything that happened in the first few laps was a very strong result.”Charles Leclerc is much more popular with the supporters as he speaks to TV:“Very happy with this weekend.Austin was very positive but to end up on the podium again is a great surprise.Very happy to be on this amazing podium again.“I was quite happy about the VSC at the end! My tyres were completely gone.
I could see Max was coming back on the softs,“It was tough, but the VSC saved me at the end,”Lando Norris, who is booed by some sections of the Mexican crowd for reasons nobody is really sure of, speaks to TV:“I love it,What a race,I could just keep my eyes focused and forward and focus on what I was doing.
“A pretty straightforward race for me which is just what I was after.A good start, a good launch, a good first lap and I could go from there.“I got a much better launch than the guys around.It’s my first win in Mexico and a beautiful one to get.”Drivers’ standings after that:1 – Lando Norris 357pts 2 – Oscar Piastri 356 3 – Max Verstappen 321 4 – George Russell 258 5 – Charles Leclerc 210 6 – Lewis Hamilton 146 7 – Kimi Antonelli 97 8 – Alex Albon 73 9 – Nico Hülkenberg 41 10 – Isack Hadjar 39 11 – Carlos Sainz 38 12 – Fernando Alonso 37 13 – Ollie Bearman 32 14 – Lance Stroll 32 15 – Liam Lawson 30 16 – Esteban Ocon 30 17 – Yuki Tsunoda 28 18 – Pierre Gasly 20 19 – Gabriel Bortoleto 19 20 – Franco Colapinto 0Mexico Grand Prix result (top 10)1 – Lando Norris 2 – Charles Leclerc 3 – Max Verstappen 4 – Ollie Bearman 5 – Oscar Piastri 6 – Kimi Antonelli 7 – George Russell 8 – Lewis Hamilton 9 – Esteban Ocon 10 – Gabriel BortoletoBearman finishes a career-best 4th after holding off the challenge of Piastri.
Leclerc holds on to second place ahead of Verstappen! The virtual safety car had ended with half a lap to go but the Red Bull ran out of track in the end,There’s no doubt about who has won this,Norris claims a statement win in the title race – his 7th of this season,He takes the lead in the drivers’ standings for the first time since April and is just one point ahead of Piastri,Lap 71/71: That virtual safety car could put an end to any racing.
Leclerc could well hold on to 2nd after all.Bearman remains in front of Piastri too.Lap 70/71: Double yellow flag with Sainz stranded in the stadium section.Verstappen closes in on Leclerc … but there’s a virtual safety car.Lap 69/71: Piastri gets ever closer to Bearman with DRS in the battle for 4th but the Haas driver continues to hold on.
Lap 68/71: Verstappen is in striking distance now.The same is the case between Piastri and Bearman.Lap 67/71: Norris is cruising along out in front, 29 seconds ahead of Leclerc.Verstappen, Piastri and Russell could all gain points before the race is over.Lap 66/71: Verstappen is coming.
Leclerc could well be a sitting duck when the Red Bull gets in DRS range.The Ferrari is going to run out of laps.2 seconds the gap.Lap 65/71: Verstappen has closed the gap to Leclerc in 2nd to 3 seconds.Piastri is gaining on Bearman in 4th.
Lap 64/71: Tsunoda goes past on Hadjar’s inside and sets his sights on Bortoleto and some points.Lap 63/71: Antonelli does indeed regain his place from Russell and is into 6th.Bortoleto is into the points after moving past Hadjar.Lap 62/71: Antonelli wants his place back off Russell and makes that clear over the radio.He’s 1.
5s behind his teammate.Lap 61/71: Piastri finally gets past the Mercedes to gain some valuable points in the overall standings.10 laps to goLap 59/71: Verstappen will catch Leclerc at this pace by the end of the race.The gap is under 6 seconds now.Lap 58/71: Hadjar is holding on to the last point available in 10th with Bortoleto close behind him.
Russell is still holding off Piastri.Lap 57/71: Piastri has DRS and is gaining on Russell, about half a second between them.Lap 56/71: After chasing Bearman for a couple of laps, Russell is now looking over his shoulder as Piastri in 6th comes into sight in his rearview mirror.Lap 55/71: Verstappen in 3rd is edging closer to Leclerc, with 8.4 seconds the gap there.
Norris is 26s clear in first.Lap 54/71: No sign of a safety car.Bearman is widening the gap a touch back to Russell with some fine driving.Lap 53/71: Bearman and Russell are having a bit of a duel.Debris on the track may require a safety car to come out.
Lap 52/71: Bearman is struggling to hold off Russell’s pace as they battle for 4th.Russell now holds the fastest lap.Lap 51/71: Norris is 23 seconds clear out in front, with big gaps between each driver in the top 4.Top 8 1 – Norris 2 – Leclerc 3 – Verstappen 4 – Bearman 5 – Russell 6 – Piastri 7 – Antonelli 8 – HamiltonLap 50/71: Russell comes out behind Piastri but is almost overtaken by the other Haas, Ocon.Piastri and Antonelli both then come past Ocon.
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The passing of John Woodvine (Obituary, 13 October) reminded me of the time when four of us University of East Anglia students went to the Norwich Theatre Royal to see the Actors’ Company touring King Lear in June 1974.We were early and went for a something to eat at a newly opened “burger” style restaurant with booths and partitions so you couldn’t see who was at adjacent tables – a novelty at the time. The service was very slow and we were concerned that we would be late for the theatre.Suddenly a head appeared over the partition and said: “Don’t worry – they won’t start without me!” It was John Woodvine, who turned out to be the Earl of Kent and was the first to speak in the play. Needless to say we made it in time
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How do you sleep at night? If you’re like Hannah, a recent subject of the Guardian’s My cultural awakening column, it’s to the sound of a rat whisking eggs. The series shares stories of people who made a significant life change thanks to a piece of popular culture, and in the case of Hannah, that meant curing insomnia by watching Ratatouille. Every night for the last 15 years, at home or abroad, she switches on the Pixar classic and, within minutes, finds herself dropping off, thanks to the film’s comforting, consistent soundscape. It’s so effective, in fact, she’s never even seen it all the way through.Hannah’s might be a bit of an extreme example, but her tale does touch on something universal: culture seems to play an increasingly important role these days in helping people nod off
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