Norris takes pole in Mexico as Piastri struggles; Hamilton shines for Ferrari

MEXICO CITY: The Formula 1 driver championship fight stormed into the Mexican Grand Prix with points leader Oscar Piastri struggling in qualifying while McLaren teammate Lando Norris took the pole.

Norris won his fifth pole of the season — first one at Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez — while Piastri was a distant seventh in Saturday qualifying.

“I am happy to be back on pole, it’s actually been quite a long time so it’s a good feeling,” said Norris, who was last on pole in Belgium six races ago. “I’ve had some good races here in the past, so I just focus on what I can control and that’s what I can do.”

Piastri called it a “frustrating session” and said his speed was just off.

“Everything felt pretty normal, the lap times just haven’t been there,” said Piastri, who said he will focus on gaining positions at the start of Sunday’s race.

A bigger surprise was the performance from Ferrari, with Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton qualifying second and third. It’s the best qualifying effort for Hamilton since he joined Ferrari this season.

“This is an amazing feeling, it’s the first time we’ve both been up here in the top three,” Hamilton said. “I think our race pace is not too bad, but it’s difficult to say.”

George Russell of Mercedes qualified fourth while four-time reigning champion Max Verstappen will start fifth. Verstappen is quickly clawing his way back into the championship picture as the Red Bull driver has not given up on winning a fifth consecutive title.

Verstappen has won three of the past four races, as well as the sprint race at the US Grand Prix last weekend.

Piastri holds the driver standings lead, 14 points ahead of Norris and 40 ahead of Verstappen with five races remaining. But Verstappen was 104