Lando Norris has vowed to take a title-defining victory at the Mexico City Grand Prix on Sunday evening as his main rivals were left mystified by their lack of pace.
The British driver produced the most dominant Qualifying performance of his career to take pole position from Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari with Max Verstappen starting in fifth and championship leader Oscar Piastri starting seventh after qualifying almost six tenths slower than his team-mate.
Norris trails Piastri by 14 points in the drivers’ standings and if he wins on Sunday, then his McLaren team-mate will need to finish at least fourth to retain the lead in the title hunt.
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McLaren’s Lando Norris was shocked by how fast his pole lap was
And Norris was brimming with confidence as he looked ahead to Sunday’s race.
“I’m here to win, he said.
“I’ll be looking forward. I know I’m going to have some quick guys behind me.
“It’s a long run down to Turn One. The race pace from the Ferraris is normally very strong.
“I’m expecting a battle, I’m not expecting it to be easy. Eyes forward and I’ll see how much I can win by.”
Piastri says lack of pace is ‘a mystery’
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella told Sky Sports F1 after the race that Norris was quicker than Piastri in “pretty much every corner” at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
The Australian driver, who is now at risk of surrendering a title lead he has held since April, cut a frustrated figure on Saturday evening insisting he is mystified by his lack of pace.
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Highlights from Qualifying at the Mexico City Grand Prix
“It all feels ok, there’s just no pace which is a bit of a mystery,” he told Sky Sports F1.
“It’s been more or less the same gap all weekend, so we’ll have a look at where it was going wrong. Obviously it’s a bit frustrating.
“Not a huge amount has changed around how I’m feeling in the car. It’s just this weekend and last weekend it’s felt like the pace hasn’t come.
“I’m not 100 per cent sure why yet, so we’ll do some digging.”
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Oscar Piastri is frustrated with the lack of pace in his car
Piastri’s best chance of making up places may come on the long run to the first corner and he will be hoping for a tow as he lines up behind Norris, Hamilton and Verstappen on the left-hand side of the grid.
“That’s going to be an opportunity to make some progress forwards,” he admitted. “We’ll see what I can do.”
Verstappen: Everything we tried didn’t work
Verstappen came into the weekend in the best form of the three title hopefuls and was looking to replicate a spectacular weekend in Austin last week and make further inroads into the 40-point deficit he has in the drivers’ standings.
But like Piastri he has endured a frustrating lack of pace with Red Bull unable to compete with the rampant Norris.
“If we knew, we would change it and unfortunately we don’t,” he told Sky Sports F1.
“We’ve tried so many things and it’s not been good. It’s not the lack of trying, it’s not finding it.
“We went into Qualifying trying something again and we didn’t get it quite right in some corners. It made it better in some places, but in other areas more difficult and that didn’t allow me to push.
“I knew from the first run of Q1 that was not going to be it. Basically, everything we tried didn’t really work.”
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Max Verstappen says he has no chance of making up places in Sunday’s race
However, he doesn’t share the same optimism as Piastri that he can make up ground in the charge to the first corner.
“There isn’t really a recovery drive when you have no pace,” he added.
“I need people to retire in front of me to go ahead.
“Every lap that I did this weekend has not been good. In the short run or the long run it never felt in the window and that is not going to suddenly change tomorrow for the better.”
Sky Sports F1’s Mexico City GP schedule
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Look back at some of the most dramatic moments to have taken place at the Mexico City Grand Prix
Sunday October 26
6.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Mexico City GP build-up*
8pm: THE MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX*
10pm: Chequered Flag: Mexico City GP reaction
*also on Sky Sports Main Event
Formula 1’s thrilling title race heads continues at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez for the Mexico City Grand Prix on Sunday with lights out at 8pm, live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime