Norris Dominates FP3 Qualifying as Verstappen Struggles | F1 Preview

Mexico City Grand Prix Qualifying Preview: Norris Leads the Way

An exciting qualifying session is about to kick off at the Mexico City Grand Prix. After three practice sessions, the battle lines are drawn for what promises to be a crucial fight for pole position.

There’s been plenty of talk that pole might not be the advantage you’d expect here. The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez has the longest run from the start line to the first corner on the calendar.

But with the title battle so close, no driver will be giving an inch today.

Norris dominates final practice

Lando Norris has emerged as the clear favorite after storming to the top in FP3 with a blistering lap that left everyone else in his dust.

The Brit finished a massive three-tenths clear of his rivals.

What makes this even more impressive? Norris missed FP1 completely while Pato O’Ward took his seat for the session.

His lap time of 1:16.633 was the fastest of the weekend by a wide margin. Lewis Hamilton could only get within +0.345 seconds to claim P2.

Norris will surely be feeling confident as he looks to cut the 14-point gap to his teammate Oscar Piastri in the championship standings.

Piastri’s championship lead under threat

Speaking of Piastri, the Australian’s recent struggles show no signs of easing. Despite leading the drivers’ standings, he hasn’t stood on the podium in three races – his longest drought of the 2025 season.

He had a tough weekend in Austin, finishing only P5 while watching Verstappen and Norris take the top two spots.

Things aren’t looking much better in Mexico. After a disappointing P12 in FP2, he could only manage P4 in final practice, nearly six-tenths off his teammate’s pace.

Piastri’s last win came at the Dutch Grand Prix right after the summer break. If he wants to maintain his championship lead, he desperately needs a strong qualifying performance today.

Verstappen’s surprising pace drop

Max Verstappen‘s form has taken an unexpected dive heading into qualifying.

The four-time world champion has been on fire since the team introduced their floor update at the Italian Grand Prix. He’s won three of the last four races and cut Piastri’s championship lead from 104 points after Zandvoort to just 40 points now.

A first-place finish in Friday’s FP2 session suggested the Dutchman would continue his charge in Mexico City.

But something changed overnight.

Verstappen could only manage P5 in the final practice, more than six-tenths behind Norris. There were also some concerning comments about Red Bull’s long-run pace after Friday’s sessions.

Has Red Bull lost its way, or is Verstappen just keeping his powder dry for when it really counts?

Dark horses to watch

While the championship contenders will grab the headlines, a few other drivers could spring a surprise in qualifying.

Lewis Hamilton showed serious pace in FP3, sitting at the top of the timesheets before Norris delivered his stunning lap. The seven-time champion and his Ferrari shouldn’t be counted out.

George Russell has been quietly impressive throughout 2025. He rounded out the top three in final practice, just two-tenths off Hamilton’s time of 1:16.978.

Could either Mercedes or Ferrari throw a wrench in the title battle with a shock pole position?

Technical analysis: Why Norris has the edge

McLaren’s cooling system seems to be giving Norris a crucial advantage. According to our F1 tech expert Francesco Bianchi, the MCL39’s optimal cooling allowed Norris to keep his soft tires in the perfect temperature window throughout his flying lap.

The team has also improved their mechanical setup since Friday. The car handled the kerbs much better thanks to softer suspension settings, which also boosted traction out of slow corners.

It’s no coincidence that Norris made his biggest gains in the first and third sectors during his soft tire run.

Verstappen, meanwhile, complained about having “no grip on both axles” during his qualifying simulation. His car was sliding massively, especially in slow-speed corners.

This issue might be more about tire preparation than car setup. With today’s F1 tires being so sensitive to temperature variations, nailing the warm-up lap has become crucial – something Verstappen and Red Bull struggled with in practice.

Qualifying kicks off at 21:00 local time. Will Norris convert his practice pace into pole position, or can Verstappen find the magic when it matters most?