McLaren’s Lando Norris took the championship lead for the first time since April with a dominant victory in the Mexico City Grand Prix.
Norris was serenely out of reach of some compelling battles and incident behind him as he kept the lead from pole position into the first corner and controlled the race from there.
Norris leads the championship by just one point from team-mate Oscar Piastri, who fought back from seventh on the grid to finish fifth.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who finished third just behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, is 36 points off the lead with four races to go.
A virtual safety car in the final two laps robbed the race of a grandstand finish, with Verstappen right behind Leclerc and Piastri chasing the Haas of Oliver Bearman, as it prevented overtaking just as both were moving into position to challenge.
Bearman’s fourth place, though, was just reward for an outstanding drive from British rookie Bearman.
The key stories of a dramatic race were:
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Norris was totally dominant en route to his sixth win of the season, one behind Piastri’s total
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A great recovery from Verstappen after losing ground following some controversial early manoeuvres
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Damage limitation from Piastri after a difficult qualifying
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Bearman’s outstanding drive, benefiting from Verstappen’s early race aggression
