Norris wins in Mexico to take F1 lead from Piastri by a single point

MEXICO CITY :Lando Norris avoided early mayhem to earn a dominant Mexico City Grand Prix victory from pole position and take the Formula One championship lead from McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri by a single point on Sunday.

Australian Piastri, who had started the race in seventh place and 14 points clear of the Briton, finished fifth after a late virtual safety car denied him a shot at fourth after a thrilling chase.

Charles Leclerc was runner-up for Ferrari, 30.3 seconds adrift of Norris, while Red Bull's reigning champion Max Verstappen took his sixth successive podium in third place after a nail-biting last lap left him just 0.7 behind the Monegasque.

Norris now has 357 points to Piastri's 356 with Verstappen on 321.

"What a race. I could just keep my eyes focused and forward and focus on what I was doing," said Norris, who was booed by the home crowd for reasons that remained unclear.

"A pretty straightforward race for me which is just what I was after. A good start, a good launch, a good first lap and I could go from there."

Oliver Bearman was fourth for Haas in a career-best result for the Briton, who was 1.1 seconds clear of Piastri at a chequered flag waved by former heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield.

HAMILTON HANDED 10-SECOND PENALTY AFTER STARTING THIRD

Kimi Antonelli was sixth for Mercedes, with teammate George Russell seventh and Lewis Hamilton eighth for Ferrari after a 10-second penalty dropped him from third.

Esteban Ocon was ninth for Haas and Sauber's Gabriel Bortoleto took the final point.

Ferrari moved back into second place, a point ahead of Mercedes, in a constructors' championship already won by McLaren.  

Norris made a clean start from pole when the lights went out but was caught in a four-way