Starting Grid 2025 Mexico City Formula 1 Grand Prix

Event: Mexico City Grand Prix
Track: Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez

Formation lap starts Sunday, 26 October 2025, at: 14:00 Local | 21:00 CET | 20:00 UK (GMT) | 13:00 Los Angeles (PDT) | 05:00 Tokyo (Monday, JST)

Norris Leads Mexico Grid as Piastri Faces Title Threat

Lando Norris will start the 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix from pole position with a golden opportunity to take the Formula 1 World Championship lead from McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri. But with two Ferraris directly behind him and Max Verstappen lurking in fifth, the Briton's biggest challenge could arrive before the first corner.

Norris delivered a spectacular 1:15.586 in qualifying, beating Charles Leclerc by 0.262 seconds and Lewis Hamilton by 0.352 seconds. It was his 14th career pole, fifth of the season and McLaren's first in Mexico since Gerhard Berger in 1990. His lap was also 0.360 seconds quicker than Carlos Sainz's pole-winning effort for Ferrari in 2024.

Ferrari Threatens Norris on the Run to Turn 1

Leclerc and Hamilton occupy second and third, giving Ferrari a genuine chance to challenge Norris at the start. George Russell lines up fourth for Mercedes, with Verstappen fifth after struggling to reproduce his Austin qualifying form.

Mexico City's exceptionally long run from the grid to Turn 1 makes pole position less comfortable than it might appear. The slipstream can give those starting behind a significant advantage, and Norris could find himself defending against both Ferraris before reaching the first braking zone.

Verstappen also remains a serious threat. The Red Bull driver has won five times in Mexico and, although he starts only fifth, cannot be dismissed after his commanding victory at the previous Grand Prix in Austin.

Piastri Starts Seventh After Sainz Penalty

Championship leader Piastri endured another frustrating qualifying session, finishing eighth and 0.588 seconds slower than Norris. He gains one position on the grid thanks to Sainz's five-place penalty, but still starts six places behind his McLaren team-mate.

Kimi Antonelli lines up sixth, with Piastri seventh, Isack Hadjar eighth and Oliver Bearman ninth. Yuki Tsunoda completes the top ten after also benefiting from Sainz's penalty.

Sainz qualified an impressive seventh for Williams but drops to 12th for causing a collision with Antonelli during the previous race in Austin. Esteban Ocon consequently moves up to 11th.

A Championship Lead Within Norris' Reach

Piastri arrives at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez holding a 14-point advantage over Norris, with Verstappen another 26 points behind the Briton. If Sunday's race finishes in starting-grid order, Norris will leave Mexico five points clear at the top of the championship.

That is a remarkable opportunity after Piastri appeared firmly in control of the title battle earlier in the season. But with 71 laps ahead, Ferrari occupying both positions immediately behind Norris and Verstappen looking to continue his comeback, the result is far from decided.

Norris has delivered the perfect Saturday. Now he must survive Mexico's notorious opening straight and turn pole position into the championship lead.

Starting Grid 2025 Mexico F1 GP

Starting grid notes:

• Carlos Sainz, Williams #55 – Five-place grid penalty for causing a collision with Kimi Antonelli during the 2025 United States Grand Prix. Qualified seventh and starts 12th.
• Lap times and pole gaps are based on each driver's fastest qualifying time, not their grid position after penalties.
• Drivers eliminated in Q1 or Q2 retain their fastest qualifying time from the respective segment.

✅ Check out our 2025 Mexico City Formula 1 Grand Prix preview.

About the author

Leopold

Leopold Pleijsier founded F1-Fansite.com in 2001 and has followed Formula 1 since the early 1980s. He writes about daily F1 news, race weekends, drivers and the sport’s history.

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