Formula 1: Articles & News Reports.

[Fortitude]

One Point. No Favours. Norris-Piastri War Begins.
McLaren’s explanation hasn’t budged. Conditions, not conspiracies. “Hot tarmac, sliding tyre,” as Stella put it. Norris found lap time in the slither. Piastri, a driver who really comes alive when the track is grippy and the car’s nailed to the floor, didn’t. Twice in a row.
Oct 27, 2025
Alex Albuquerque
FastestLap.com

After a Mexico City weekend that swung the title pendulum back toward Lando Norris, the McLaren team principal moved quickly to stamp out social media whispers that Oscar Piastri is being short-changed in the run-in. Four race weekends remain, starting under the neon in Las Vegas, and Stella’s message was blunt: the next tracks won’t hand either driver a built-in advantage. “No reason to think one may favour one driver or the other,” he told reporters in Mexico. And you get the sense he’s tired of saying it.

Norris leaves Mexico with the championship lead again, by a single point over his teammate. It was earned the hard way: a lights-to-flag masterclass while Piastri could do no better than fifth, a 15-point swing on a day when the Brit didn’t put a wheel wrong. The bigger talking point, though, was Saturday. In qualifying, Piastri was adrift—six tenths off Norris—after a similar gap in Austin the week before. That’s been the wedge for the keyboard detectives.

To their credit, McLaren didn’t just shrug. Overnight work after quali in Mexico left Piastri sharper in race trim, according to Stella, who praised the Australian’s quick adaptation to a car that wanted to dance around rather than sit still. The problem? Traffic. He spent too much of Sunday tucked up behind other people’s gearboxes to show it.

‘One Point. No Favours’;

https://fastestlap.com/news/one-poin...ri-war-begins/


Is Lando Norris in the box seat for the title? Brazil might hold the key
29 Oct 2025
Henry Valantine
PlanetF1.com

We asked you if the F1 2025 title is now in the hands of Lando Norris after his recent turnaround, and you replied in your droves.
Scatty Seagull: Yes because Lando now has to capitalise on Oscar’s poor form while keeping Max at bay.
Shafraz Mohammed Ashraf: If Oscar’s performance doesn’t return to normal at Interlagos – where his driving style should thrive – then yes.
Neil: The question is, will Norris now be the one to feel the pressure now he has the championship lead, or will be just keep moving away from the other two with confidence?

Brazil will be the first indication of how he deals with it.
bean: Piastri is much more confident than he has been recently and is one point away. We don’t know how Norris will react with the target on his back. So no.
Danny: Not yet. Piastri is one point away, and Max is still in there. A lot will depend on Brazil. If it’s a race like last year, the chances shift towards Max in a big way.

‘So no’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/pf1-po...mexico-city-gp


McLaren have devised a clever engine ‘strategy’ that will benefit Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri
29 Oct 2025
Ashley Hambly
F1 Oversteer

McLaren have revealed the clever engine ‘strategy’ that they have employed to save their title protagonists, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, from serving any unnecessary penalties as the 2025 F1 season approaches a crucial period. McLaren’s F1 engine ‘strategy’ revealed as the 2025 title fight approaches boiling point. Speaking in a review of the Mexico City Grand Prix on her YouTube channel, F1 journalist Julianne Cerasoli touched upon a fan’s question regarding McLaren’s use of all of their allotted engines for the current campaign, highlighting a clever strategy that the team has employed.

She said: “McLaren adopted a type of strategy where they put all their engines into play, as we say in Formula 1, in the engine pool very early. So, even before the August break, they were already using all the engines. And then when you see that FIA list saying which engine each driver is on, it doesn’t mean he is using that engine in that race, it means he has already used the four engines he has at his disposal, he has already taken a penalty, and now has five. But it doesn’t mean he is using number five in all races or number four in all races.”

“What McLaren is doing is good. Number one, the engine that debuted in Australia is already an engine only for Friday. And then two, three, four, they rotate depending on what they need for each race. So, the engine when there is a track where the engine doesn’t count much, they use the more used engine, the engine that counts. On a track where the engine counts more, they use the less-used engine. And I checked this with McLaren, they said they are calm, that the plan is as they had thought at the start of the season, and they do not need to change engines until the end of the season.”

“On a track where the engine counts more, they use the less-used engine”;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/mcl...oscar-piastri/


Piastri: I’m having to “drive the car very differently” since COTA
Oct 28, 2025
Jaden Diaz-Ndisang
Last Word On Sports

There is a growing spotlight on Oscar Piastri. For the time being, the McLaren driver has no answers for his recent results. He said as much to the media post-race on Sunday: “I think the last couple of races has been surprising in terms of the pace… We have some evidence of where the pace is, and what to do. But I’ve got to drive the car very differently these last couple of weekends. Which, when it’s been working well for you for the previous 18 [races], is a little bit difficult to kind of wrap your head around. We tried a few things today, and we’ll have a look if that’s what we were looking for.”

On paper, Piastri is obviously still a contender for the Championship. He is only one point behind Norris, a difference that could easily be overturned at the Sprint Race in Brazil – let along the Grand Prix itself. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has suggested that limitations in the Australian’s driving style were exposed in America and Mexico. Stella’s implication was that the final rounds should not see this vulnerability exposed. Meanwhile, Piastri seems less clear on the explanation his sudden downturn in form – and it is unclear whether this will change at the Brazilian GP, or if a similar lack of pace will persist.

“A little bit difficult to kind of wrap your head around”;

https://lastwordonsports.com/motorsp...ly-since-cota/


Piastri calls for pace analysis amidst McLaren conspiracy theories
28 Oct 2025
Michelle Foster
PlanetF1.com

Oscar Piastri wants to “analyse” after McLaren put his struggles in Mexico, and also in Austin, down to his driving style in hot conditions when cars are sliding. But given he was in traffic for much of the race, even at the very end when a VSC prevented him from chasing down Oliver Bearman for fourth, he cannot say whether the changes he made to his driving style on Sunday actually worked. “It’s difficult to say ultimately,” Piastri told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets after the grand prix.

“I think we certainly tried a lot of different things, but at the back with cars as well, so it was difficult to kind of get a read on whether what I was changing with my driving was working that well or not. But ultimately, yeah, we’ll have to analyse it and see if it looks good and in terms of the numbers and stuff, because, from a feeling point of view, when you’re behind that many cars, it’s very difficult to tell.”

“It wasn’t so much the pace of the car, because the car was pretty quick this weekend. It was more just trying to unlock it, and I felt like I potentially made some steps in doing that. But yeah, ultimately, when you’re behind so many cars and trying to fight for so long, it’s difficult to measure that a little bit. So hopefully we’ll get a bit more indication from some of the data.”

‘Pace analysis’;

https://www.planetf1.com/news/oscar-...iracy-theories


Lando Norris Uses ‘Clever Trick’ to Gain Advantage Over Oscar Piastri
29 Oct 2025
Marcus Chan
SPORTbible

Lando Norris has revealed the clever change he has made in a bid to gain an edge on his rivals. As a result of his win, Norris now has a one-point lead over Piastri at the top of the standings. After putting in a brilliant flying lap to secure pole position, Norris revealed that he made a slight adjustment. As per Planet F1, the Brit has revealed that he no longer has a delta time on his dash during qualifying.

However, Norris believes that removing the delta time allows him to focus solely on executing the lap itself rather than being distracted by how it compares to a previous one. He said during the Mexico Grand Prix weekend: "I’ve not had it since Monaco. I’ve never used the delta since in qualifying. So I don’t know. Who knows if it would have helped me or made me worse?”

"I think the thing when I don’t have it is I push no matter what – no matter how the start of the lap was, no matter how any corner was. I guess it’s because you have no reference of the overall lap time, you just always try and maximise every corner to the maximum." Norris added: "Otherwise, sometimes I just stare at it too much and that’s never the best thing. It’s just nice because normally when it goes well, it’s a pleasant surprise to see the lap time pop up when it’s as good as this one."

‘Clever Trick’;

https://www.sportbible.com/f1/lando-...08462-20251029

[Matthew]

Not many were expecting Lando to lead the drivers' championship with four race remaining in the season at the summer break but here we are. It is now very much a genuine three way race for the title between him, Oscar and Max.

[Fortitude]

Wedged Between Hamilton and Max, Leclerc ‘Just Prayed’ in Mexico.
Charles Leclerc didn’t dress it up. The opening seconds of the Mexican Grand Prix were not fun, not brave, not heroic. They were survival.
October 30, 2025
Alex Albuquerque
FastestLap.com

Ferrari’s lead man found himself wedged between his new teammate Lewis Hamilton and old sparring partner Max Verstappen as the field screamed down that endless Mexico City main straight. Lando Norris, starting from pole, dragged them four-wide into Turn 1. Verstappen clattered the kerb, Hamilton and Leclerc banged wheels, and the Ferrari pair were spat into the run-off. It looked like the sort of squeeze that usually ends in carbon.

“I didn’t enjoy that at all,” Leclerc said afterwards, half-laughing, half-exhaling. “I normally quite like fighting, but in this case, being in the middle of Lewis and Max… you can’t do much. You just pray they give you enough space to make the corner.” He didn’t quite get that much. Verstappen, bottoming out over the inside kerb, straight-lined the chicane. Leclerc, finding no grip on the dirty outside and tagged by Hamilton’s sister Ferrari, had to cut the corner too. Somehow, all three cars came out intact. The roars in the Foro Sol were matched by a collective paddock blink of disbelief.

From there, the afternoon split in two. Norris checked out, stretching a lead that would balloon to half a minute by the flag. Leclerc settled into second, but never with much comfort. His mediums never switched on, leaving him glancing in the mirrors at a Red Bull that simply refused to fade.

‘Just Prayed’;

https://fastestlap.com/news/wedged-b...yed-in-mexico/


Leclerc reveals why he was particularly delighted with Ferrari's performance in Texas and Mexico
29 Oct 2025
Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical

Asked how much satisfaction he can take from the weekend in Mexico City, Leclerc added: "Quite a bit. I mean, it's been a very positive weekend. I think we did not expect to be replicating what we've done in Austin. "We knew that in Austin we had done the perfect execution, but we also knew that on paper we maybe didn't have the pace that McLaren or Red Bull had. And to be on the podium at that race was a surprise, but we managed to do that again and one step higher on the podium as well.”

"So it's been a really strong weekend. I think, as we know already, in terms of pure performance from the car, it's been quite long that we've been switching our minds to 2026, and so that helped us a little bit more into this last part of the season. But by doing perfect executed weekends, we managed to get two podiums in a row, which is a really nice feeling.” Despite his chaotic start to the race, Verstappen managed to close in on Leclerc with two laps to go, and put the Monegasque under immense pressure. However, the virtual safety car was deployed for Carlos Sainz's stricken Williams, which effectively robbed Verstappen of making a move on Leclerc.
"I was very happy to see the Safety Car coming out in the last two laps. I think without it, there was more chance of Max getting past than me staying in front. Especially with those Medium tyres, the feeling was just not there from the beginning to the end. I was definitely tempted by the two stops, but I don't know. At the end, I just stuck to what I was on, which was the Medium tyre, and tried to make it work—and we did. It was close. We got a little bit lucky, but I'm proud we made it stick," added Leclerc.

“It's been a very positive weekend”;

https://www.f1technical.net/news/27951


Charles Leclerc taunted Max Verstappen in brilliant radio message after late VSC at Mexican Grand Prix
26 October 2025
Tyler Rowlinson
F1 Oversteer

As the double yellow flags were waved, Leclerc could only laugh as he knew Verstappen would not be allowed to pass. He simply said: “Max. Max, hahahahahah,” as he entered the final lap.

“Max. Max, hahahahahah”;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/cha...an-grand-prix/


Leclerc thinks "it's going to be very, very tough" for Ferrari to clinch second place in the championship
27 Oct 2025
Balazs Szabo
F1 Technical

Although Ferrari found itself in second place through the middle stages of the championship, the Scuderia fell behind Mercedes after its tough races in Baku and Singapore. However, the Italian team regained P2 in the standings after its strong display in Austin and Mexico City. Asked whether Ferrari's SF25 is fast enough to hold on to the second place in the constructors' championship, Leclerc sounded a pessimistic note.

"It's going to be very, very tough. If I look back at the last two weekends, yes. If I look before these two weekends, not really. We just need to focus race by race and do the perfect execution just like we've done in the last two races. That pays off, obviously, as always, but it's very difficult to be performing at this level all the time. But that is the standard that we need to target, and hopefully that will be enough to give us second in the Constructors.”

“We just need to focus race by race”;

https://www.f1technical.net/news/27948


Ferrari's achilles heel exposed in veiled Norris dig
26 Oct 2025
Norberto Mujica
GPblog.com

Lando Norris has quipped Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton are "pros" at lifting and coasting, a technique Ferrari's understood to be relying upon to avoid excessive plank wear and potential disqualifications. “I mean, ask these guys, they’re pros at it. These guys, they do it every race.” - Lando Norris “Yeah, I think you always have to do it a little bit, but never as much as these guys.”

Leclerc, starting behind him, acknowledged that managing lift and coast would be essential under Mexico’s demanding conditions. “Let’s say I think we’re ready for this. It’s always a track where lift and coast is a big part of the race, especially for the people from second onwards,” he explained.

“That’s why I think the start is so important on a track like this, because when you have free air, everything comes a lot easier. So yeah, we’ll be quite aggressive into Turn 1 if I have the possibility and then manage from where we are. But it’s definitely going to be a big part of the race.” Hamilton, meanwhile, kept it brief: “Not much to say. Lift and coast is pretty much what Charles said.”

‘Ferrari's achilles heel’;

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/ferra...led-norris-dig


David Croft says Ferrari were ‘upset’ by the joke Lando Norris made at their expense in Mexico
30 October 2025
David Comerford
F1 Oversteer

During his race commentary for Sky Sports, Croft said: “Lando Norris picked up on that in the top-three press conference after qualifying when he was asked about lift and coast. He said, ‘Well ask these two, they do it way more than we do’, which upset Ferrari a bit because they said that, ‘Actually, we don’t.’ They’re having to today.”

Hamilton alone was told to lift and coast 18 times during the race. It’s one of the most frustrating instructions a driver can receive because it forces them to sacrifice lap time and goes against their attacking instincts. Indeed, Hamilton called one particular request ‘ridiculous’, and later complained that he couldn’t catch the cars ahead with such restrictions.

The optics are poor for Ferrari, who seem to have a fundamentally flawed car. Leclerc has complained about the 2025 car more than his teammate, but Hamilton’s exasperation was clear on Sunday. As of the chequered flag in Mexico, Ferrari have officially scored fewer than half of McLaren’s points (713 vs 356).

‘Hamilton alone was told to lift and coast 18 times during the race’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/dav...nse-in-mexico/


Stats: Norris takes F1’s biggest win for two years as Ferrari go win-less for 12 months
31st October 2025
Keith Collantine
RaceFans

Leclerc took the chequered flag over half a minute behind Norris – 30.324 seconds, to be exact. This was the biggest winning margin for a driver since Max Verstappen won the Hungarian Grand Prix by 33.731s over Norris two years ago.

Ferrari’s wait for their first grand prix win of 2025 therefore goes on. Excluding sprint races (Lewis Hamilton won for them in Shanghai) it’s now more than a full year since their last victory, when Sainz led the field home in Mexico last year. Their last 12-month win-less spell ended when Sainz won the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix and they haven’t had a win-less season since 2021.

‘Ferrari go win-less for 12 months’;

https://www.racefans.net/2025/10/31/...for-12-months/