F1 in Mexico City: We have a new championship leader

"Behind Norris, the chasing pack went into turn 1 four-wide. Both Ferraris were in the mix: Charles Leclerc qualified second, and his teammate Lewis Hamilton was third. Max Verstappen could qualify his Red Bull no higher than fifth, behind George Russell's Mercedes. A number of drivers had to take to the grass at turn 1 to avoid crashing, giving Norris plenty of breathing room to build a lead."

"Behind him, things were a little more interesting. Leclerc managed to keep second place, but with much less speed than Norris, a following pack formed behind him. By lap 7, Verstappen had managed to fight his way past Russell, then diced with Hamilton, his old foe from the 2021 title. Neither car was able to keep entirely to the track, and Hamilton was handed a 10-second penalty, putting an end to any thoughts of finally grabbing his first Ferrari podium finish. Eventually, he finished eighth."

"Norris, Leclerc, and Verstappen all stuck to a one-stop strategy, with the Red Bull driver starting on medium tires and then swapping to the softs; his rivals did the opposite. Verstappen was in a much stronger position in the final phase of the race, with newer, softer rubber than the Ferrari ahead. But although he closed the gap to fractions of a second, he was denied a chance to overtake Leclerc when a virtual safety car interrupted the race with just three laps to go."

Norris regained the championship lead by one point over teammate Oscar Piastri after a chaotic race. The start saw a four-wide entry into turn 1 that forced several drivers onto the grass and allowed Norris to build an early advantage. Leclerc held second but lacked Norris’s pace, while Verstappen recovered from fifth to challenge the front runners, overtaking Russell and dueling Hamilton, who received a 10-second penalty and finished eighth. All three front runners ran one-stop strategies with opposite tire sequences; Verstappen closed late on fresher softs but a virtual safety car with three laps remaining prevented a final overtake.

Read at Ars Technica