MEXICO CITY, 26 October (H.S.): McLaren’s Lando Norris significantly boosted his Formula 1 title hopes on Saturday by clinching a superb pole position for the Mexico City Grand Prix. In a thrilling qualifying session, Norris outpaced Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Mercedes’s Lewis Hamilton to lead the grid.The result provides a critical advantage for Norris, as his primary championship rivals struggled for pace.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen will start from fifth, while Norris’s teammate Oscar Piastri lines up seventh. Norris delivered a scintillating final lap to claim his first pole since July, later remarking, It was one of those laps when you don’t really know what happened.

Leclerc had set a formidable benchmark on his first run to take provisional pole but was ultimately eclipsed by the Briton’s final effort. Despite this, the Ferrari driver expressed satisfaction, believing he had extracted the maximum from his car. The session also marked a high point for Lewis Hamilton, who secured his best qualifying position of the season in third.

Conversely, both Verstappen and Piastri lamented their performance. Verstappen visibly wrestled with his car, citing a persistent lack of grip all weekend. Piastri, who is just 14 points ahead of Norris in the standings, described his own lack of pace as a mystery, continuing a difficult run of form in recent races.

—————

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar