2025 F1 Mexico City GP driver ratings: Two perfect 10s as future Ferrari star shines

Lando Norris is one point ahead of McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri in the F1 drivers’ championship after a dominant drive at the Mexico City Grand Prix.

Which driver impressed the most? Who was the biggest disappointment?

Lando Norris – 10

Lando Norris produced the most complete weekend of his F1 career to date at the Mexico City Grand Prix. From the moment he jumped in the car, Norris looked at one with his McLaren. He now leads the championship for the first time since Saudi Arabia.

Charles Leclerc – 9

Charles Leclerc extracted the maximum from the Ferrari SF-25 at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Leclerc hinted that pole was on the cards after topping the timesheets following the first run in Q3. His grand prix was fairly straightforward, settling into second behind Norris. Admittedly, he was somewhat fortunate to get away with his off-track excursion on the opening lap. However, given it was only to get ahead of his Ferrari teammate, the stewards were never going to intervene.

Max Verstappen – 9

At one stage, it looked as though Max Verstappen was on course for a lowly eighth-place finish in Mexico. A long stint on the mediums made the difference as Verstappen came alive on the softs. A late VSC cost him a chance to beat Leclerc to second. Verstappen was also fortunate to avoid a penalty for causing a collision with Lewis Hamilton at Turn 1.

Ollie Bearman – 10

A magnificent display from Ollie Bearman in Mexico City. He produced another scintillating qualifying lap to reach Q3 before converting it into a P4 finish. Had Verstappen received a penalty, Haas could have scored their first podium.

Oscar Piastri – 6.5

Oscar Piastri’s slump continued with another lacklustre weekend. By his own admission, Piastri revealed that he has to change how he’s driving to re-find his form, particularly at low-grip circuits. He is now one point behind his teammate with four rounds to go.

Kimi Antonelli – 7.5

Another encouraging weekend from Kimi Antonelli, who was within touching distance of Mercedes teammate George Russell in qualifying. Antonelli got ahead of Russell after chaos ensued between Verstappen and Hamilton. The Italian ultimately finished ahead of his teammate after Russell relinquished the place, having failed to make progress following team orders.

George Russell – 7.5

Russell’s advantage over Antonelli was slightly smaller than usual. He felt Mercedes were too late in instructing his teammate to let him through to attack Bearman ahead. Russell was also unfortunate to lose out during the Hamilton-Verstappen battle.

Lewis Hamilton – 7

Everything went wrong for the seven-time world champion in Mexico. Hamilton lost out to Leclerc on the opening lap, with the Monegasque cutting the corner and staying ahead of his teammate when he had no real reason to do so. Hamilton was then embroiled in a chaotic battle with Verstappen. Verstappen attempted an aggressive lunge at Turn 1, forcing Hamilton wide. Hamilton repaid the favour, forcing Verstappen off at the next corner. He then got ahead by cutting Turn 4, incurring a 10-second time penalty from the stewards. While Hamilton’s penalty was justified, the lack of any penalty for Verstappen was surprising.

Esteban Ocon – 7

Esteban Ocon was the clear second-best Haas driver in Mexico. A longer first stint allowed him to battle some of the drivers Bearman was fighting against. Still, Ocon will expect more, given what Bearman is achieving in recent races.

Gabriel Bortoleto – 7.5

After a difficult qualifying, Gabriel Bortoleto enjoyed a strong Sunday to come away with the final point in Mexico.

Yuki Tsunoda – 6

Yuki Tsunoda was left to rue a 12-second pit stop as he fell outside the top 10 on race day.

Alex Albon – 6.5

Alex Albon was unhappy with Williams’ strategy to start him on the unfavoured hard tyre. He made some progress late on when he switched to the softs, but it was too late to fight for points.

Isack Hadjar – 7

A mistake at Turn 6 on Lap 1 potentially cost Isack Hadjar a top-10 finish in Mexico. Hadjar felt that Racing Bulls lacked outright pace, and the fact they had no new softs available after making Q3 held them back.

Lance Stroll – 6

Lance Stroll overtook Aston Martin teammate Fernando Alonso en route to finishing 14th in Mexico. Aston Martin simply didn’t have the pace to finish in the points.

Pierre Gasly – 6.5

Another weekend where Alpine had the slowest car on the grid. Pierre Gasly edged out Franco Colapinto in both qualifying and the race.

Franco Colapinto – 6

Colapinto described his Mexico City Grand Prix as a “long and lonely afternoon for us.” He finished just behind Gasly at the chequered flag.

Carlos Sainz – 6.5

Carlos Sainz’s outstanding qualifying display was ruined as he picked up damage on the opening lap. While he received two penalties for speeding, Williams confirmed this was due to an issue with his car rather than driver error. His DNF at the end of the race, spinning off in the stadium section, appeared to be his own fault.

Fernando Alonso – 7

Alonso continued his extraordinary streak of out-qualifying Stroll — now 31 races in a row. His race ended prematurely due to overheating brakes.

Liam Lawson – 5.5

After a good start, Lawson’s race was ruined after contact with Sainz at Turn 1. Lawson felt the Spaniard was to blame for the incident. Due to significant damage, Lawson retired from the Mexico City GP early on.