The 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez delivered one of the most eventful weekends of the season. From Lando Norris’s championship-defining victory to rookie brilliance in the midfield, the high-altitude challenge once again produced a race of fine margins, fierce strategy battles, and heartbreak for some of F1’s biggest names.
Here are the five winners and five losers from a dramatic Mexican weekend that could reshape the title fight heading into Brazil.
Winners
1. Lando Norris – McLaren
Result: 1st
Why he’s a winner:
Lando Norris has never looked more complete as a racing driver. After claiming a stunning pole position on Saturday, the McLaren driver converted it into a dominant win — leading from lights to flag and never putting a wheel wrong.
Norris managed the long run to Turn 1 perfectly, holding off Charles Leclerc at the start before building a gap and controlling the race pace with surgical precision. His second win of the season wasn’t just about speed; it was about control, composure, and championship maturity.
“It was about patience today,” Norris said. “Mexico is all about keeping your head. The car felt incredible, and the team executed perfectly.”
With Oscar Piastri only managing fifth, Norris retook the lead in the Drivers’ Championship — and the momentum heading into the final stretch of the season.
Verdict: A complete performance. Norris drove like a champion — because he’s starting to look like one.
2. Charles Leclerc – Ferrari
Result: 2nd
Why he’s a winner:
Leclerc has quietly found his best form of the season. Ferrari’s updates are finally paying off, and in Mexico, the Monegasque maximized every ounce of pace from the SF-25.
He kept Norris honest throughout the first stint of the race, and while he never quite had the pace to challenge for the win, finishing 30 seconds behind Norris, he was still able to hold off Verstappen in third (with a bit of luck from the VSC). Ferrari’s strong weekend consolidated their hold on second in the Constructors’ Championship — and boosted Leclerc’s confidence heading into Brazil.
“We’ve made real progress,” Leclerc said post-race. “It’s nice to be back on the podium on pure pace.”
Verdict: A podium earned on merit — and further proof Ferrari are back in the mix.
3. Oliver Bearman – Haas
Result: 4th (career-best finish)
Why he’s a winner:
The 20-year-old Briton continues to make headlines — and Mexico might have been his biggest moment yet. Starting ninth, Oliver Bearman made a lightning getaway, avoided chaos into Turn 1, and found himself running third early in the race.
He held his own against far more experienced drivers, kept his tyres alive, and showed maturity well beyond his years. Bearman eventually finished fourth — Haas’s best result of the season.
“I was sh***ing myself going side by side with Max, but it was awesome,” Bearman laughed afterward.
Verdict: A star is being born — Bearman’s composure and racecraft have officially arrived on the F1 stage.
4. Max Verstappen – Red Bull
Result: 3rd
Why he’s a winner:
It wasn’t a vintage Verstappen weekend, but it was a smart and necessary one. Starting fifth, the reigning champion carved his way up the order with typically ruthless precision.
Though Red Bull lacked McLaren’s outright pace, Verstappen’s podium finish kept him mathematically alive in the title fight — and crucially, showed that even on an off weekend, he remains one of F1’s most complete competitors.
Verdict: Not his best, but still one of the best — and his consistency keeps the title within reach.
5. Gabriel Bortoleto – Kick Sauber
Result: 10th (up from P16)
Why he’s a winner:
One of the most impressive drives of the day came from Gabriel Bortoleto, who charged from 16th to 10th to score a crucial point for Sauber. The Brazilian rookie was disciplined and opportunistic — making the most of strategy calls, managing tyres perfectly, and pulling off clean overtakes in the midfield.
It was the kind of drive that proves why Sauber and Audi rate him so highly. In a race full of attrition, Bortoleto stayed calm and capitalized on every opportunity.
Verdict: Six places gained and a well-deserved point — Bortoleto is starting to turn heads.
Losers
1. Oscar Piastri – McLaren
Result: 5th
Why he’s a loser:
Not a disastrous result, but certainly a costly one. Piastri struggled for rhythm all weekend, never looking entirely comfortable with the car in Mexico’s tricky conditions.
He admitted post-race that recent weekends have forced him to “drive in a way that doesn’t feel natural,” and that lack of confidence showed as he failed to match Norris’s pace. Losing the championship lead to his teammate is a psychological blow.
Verdict: Needs a quick reset — the title fight isn’t over, but Norris has the upper hand.
2. Lewis Hamilton – Ferrari
Result: 8th (after 10-second penalty)
Why he’s a loser:
Hamilton’s race unraveled after a controversial 10-second penalty for cutting Turn 4 while battling Verstappen. He labeled the call “pretty nuts” and suggested inconsistency from the stewards, but the damage was done.
He had the pace for a podium, but the penalty and traffic dropped him to eighth — a painful result for Ferrari on an otherwise strong weekend.
Verdict: Right to be frustrated — but mistakes and misfortune continue to cost him.
3. Isack Hadjar – Racing Bulls
Result: 13th (started 8th)
Why he’s a loser:
After starting in the top ten, Isack Hadjar’s race never really took off. The French rookie struggled with tyre wear and pace in clean air, dropping steadily down the order.
Hadjar’s 13th-place finish will feel like a missed opportunity — particularly when Racing Bulls need every point in their Constructors’ fight.
Verdict: A tough lesson for a promising rookie — raw speed is there, execution still developing.
4. Williams
Result: No points – Sainz DNF (mechanical)
Why they’re losers:
After a string of encouraging results, Williams endured a nightmare in Mexico. Carlos Sainz retired late in the race with a mechanical issue, while his teammate finished well outside the points after a frustrating afternoon of tyre overheating and traffic.
The team left Mexico empty-handed, which isn’t ideal but shouldn’t harm there chances of finishing 5th in the constructors.
Verdict: Reliability gremlins and lost opportunities — Williams need a reset before Brazil.
5. Aston Martin
Result: No points – Alonso DNF
Why they’re losers:
Aston Martin’s slump continues. Fernando Alonso retired mid-race with a technical issue, while Lance Stroll couldn’t break into the top ten. The AMR25 lacked pace in both qualifying and the race, leaving the team once again adrift of the points.
Verdict: A forgettable weekend — and one that underlines just how far Aston have fallen from 2023’s highs.
Final Thoughts
The 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix may have reshaped the narrative of the season. Lando Norris stamped his authority on the championship, Charles Leclerc and Ferrari continued their resurgence, and Oliver Bearman and Gabriel Bortoleto proved the future of F1 is already here.
Meanwhile, Piastri, Hamilton, and Hadjar will leave Mexico knowing they need to bounce back quickly — because with only four races left, every mistake, every missed opportunity, and every penalty could be the difference between glory and regret.
