Lando Norris has dominated the Mexican Grand Prix to move back to the top of the World Championship standings. But despite this victory, the title race is far from over, with Norris and McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri just one point apart.
Piastri's performance has been inconsistent lately, with a poor weekend in Baku followed by a disappointing qualifying session in Singapore. The Australian driver had qualified two places ahead of Norris in Singapore, but was disqualified for colliding with his team-mate on the first corner.
McLaren team principal Zak Brown has denied that Piastri is being favoured over Norris. "Nonsense," he said in an interview. "We're trying to give them equal opportunity and let them race hard." Brown explained that the Hungarian Grand Prix, where Norris beat Piastri by switching to a one-stop strategy after falling back to fifth on the first lap, was a free punt, and not deliberate favouritism.
However, some fans have questioned whether McLaren is favouring Norris over Piastri. Norris has been nurtured by McLaren through all the junior formulas, while Piastri joined the team midway through his junior career. Norris has performed well in recent races, but Piastri's consistency has been a concern.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen remains in the hunt for the championship, still 36 points off the lead. However, the Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies believes that their improvement since Christian Horner left is not just coincidence. "The work of our engineers and the feedback from Max have contributed to our improved performance," Mekies said.
As the championship approaches its climax, drivers are facing a new challenge: queuing in the pit lane during qualifying. The FIA introduced this system as a safety measure, but it has been criticized for creating awkward scenes. Drivers must leave the track before their competitors to avoid a penalty, and some have questioned whether they will be able to delay long enough to gain an advantage.
In Mexico, Leclerc was penalised for cutting across Russell in Turn One, while Verstappen was cleared of wrongdoing after he struggled to control his car on the kerb. The FIA does not comment on stewards' decisions, but it is clear that drivers will have to be careful if they want to gain an advantage without running into trouble.
With just four races left, the title fight between Norris and Piastri is far from over. Norris has moved back to the top of the standings with his dominant performance in Mexico, but Piastri's consistency is still a concern. The question on everyone's lips is whether McLaren will continue to favour Norris, or if Piastri can finally find his form and challenge for the title.
Piastri's performance has been inconsistent lately, with a poor weekend in Baku followed by a disappointing qualifying session in Singapore. The Australian driver had qualified two places ahead of Norris in Singapore, but was disqualified for colliding with his team-mate on the first corner.
McLaren team principal Zak Brown has denied that Piastri is being favoured over Norris. "Nonsense," he said in an interview. "We're trying to give them equal opportunity and let them race hard." Brown explained that the Hungarian Grand Prix, where Norris beat Piastri by switching to a one-stop strategy after falling back to fifth on the first lap, was a free punt, and not deliberate favouritism.
However, some fans have questioned whether McLaren is favouring Norris over Piastri. Norris has been nurtured by McLaren through all the junior formulas, while Piastri joined the team midway through his junior career. Norris has performed well in recent races, but Piastri's consistency has been a concern.
Red Bull's Max Verstappen remains in the hunt for the championship, still 36 points off the lead. However, the Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies believes that their improvement since Christian Horner left is not just coincidence. "The work of our engineers and the feedback from Max have contributed to our improved performance," Mekies said.
As the championship approaches its climax, drivers are facing a new challenge: queuing in the pit lane during qualifying. The FIA introduced this system as a safety measure, but it has been criticized for creating awkward scenes. Drivers must leave the track before their competitors to avoid a penalty, and some have questioned whether they will be able to delay long enough to gain an advantage.
In Mexico, Leclerc was penalised for cutting across Russell in Turn One, while Verstappen was cleared of wrongdoing after he struggled to control his car on the kerb. The FIA does not comment on stewards' decisions, but it is clear that drivers will have to be careful if they want to gain an advantage without running into trouble.
With just four races left, the title fight between Norris and Piastri is far from over. Norris has moved back to the top of the standings with his dominant performance in Mexico, but Piastri's consistency is still a concern. The question on everyone's lips is whether McLaren will continue to favour Norris, or if Piastri can finally find his form and challenge for the title.
... and piastri joined in mid-career which could be an advantage for his teammate brown says no to that tho 
... what do u think tho? should mclaren give the Aussie driver another chance? 
. Both drivers have been with McLaren at different stages of their careers, but it feels like Norris is just getting all the attention. I think McLaren needs to be more transparent about their strategy and give Piastri a fair chance to shine on his own terms 
. The FIA's new pit lane queue system is also causing a lot of chaos - can't they just make it easier for drivers to navigate? 
It's only 4 races left until the championship, so let's see how this plays out! 
. It's not just about whether he's being favoured over Norris, it's more about consistency and form 
. McLaren's saying they're giving them equal opportunity, but fans are questioning if that's really the case 
. And what's with the 'free punt' explanation for Hungary? Sounds like a bunch of BS to me 
. I think Piastri needs to step up his game ASAP or he'll be left in the dust. Norris might have won Mexico, but this isn't over yet 
what's going on with him? 
and the fact that McLaren's denying favouritism over Norris, but it's hard not to wonder if they're playing him against his teammate 
does anyone really know what's going on behind closed doors? 
! It feels like one wrong move from either of them and they'll be back to square one. And can we talk about McLaren's strategy for a sec? Is it fair to some fans that Norris has had more time in the junior formulas, or was Piastri just really good at a different point in his career? 
he needs 2 get back 2 form ASAP! Norris is on fire rn 