Formula 1: Lando Norris wins Mexico Grand Prix, overtakes Oscar Piastri in F1 championship

Lando Norris has clinched victory at the Mexico Grand Prix, taking over the Formula 1 championship lead from Oscar Piastri for the first time since April.

Norris dominated the race from pole, leading every lap to secure his 10th career win and move one point ahead in the standings.

Piastri came from seventh and used a late pass of George Russell to finish fifth on Sunday - a critical gain because it allowed Norris to take just a one-point lead over Piastri in the championship race.

The sixth victory of the season for Norris was his first time back on top of the podium since winning the Hungarian Grand Prix at the start of August.

More important, Norris pounced on the recent slump Piastri has fallen into to tighten the teammates’ bid to dethrone Max Verstappen as world champion.

Norris, who started from pole, opened the race at Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez trailing his Australian teammate by 14 points in the drivers’ standings.

McLaren have already clinched their second consecutive constructors’ championship and are now seeking to end Verstappen’s four-year reign as Formula One’s world champion with either of their drivers.

Norris is back on top of the standings for the first time since the fifth race of the season, in April. There are four races remaining in the season.

Verstappen arrived in Mexico City with three wins in the past four races to put himself back into title contention.

He finished third on Sunday, with a late virtual safety car preventing the Red Bull driver for passing Charles Leclerc for second.

Verstappen was 104 points behind Piastri six races ago, but has put himself in position to challenge for a fifth consecutive title. He is now 34 points off the lead.

Britain’s Oliver Bearman finished a career-best fourth to give Haas the second top-four finish in team history.

With 357 points Norris leads the championship, just one more than Piatri’s 356. Max Verstappen sit in third with 321 points.

with AP