Lando Norris showcased the flair of a world champion Sunday during the Mexico City Grand Prix.
The McLaren driver converted from pole position, leading all 71 laps to take the checkered flag, and reclaimed first place in the drivers' standings from teammate Oscar Piastri by a single point.
It's been 189 days since Norris was last at the top of the chart — slipping behind Piastri after the Saudi Arabian GP back in April — but the momentum is now with the British driver.
It could have been trouble for Norris at the start with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc beside him on the front row and Lewis Hamilton right behind in third. The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit boasts the longest straight heading into the first turn on the calendar, and Leclerc and Hamilton could try and put the squeeze on Norris.
Neither Ferrari was able to get a good enough launch to pressure Norris into making a mistake, though, and once the dust settled from a chaotic opening lap, the McLaren was in the clear.
Norris crossed the line 30.324 seconds ahead of Leclerc to pick up his sixth win of the season in what could be a pivotal point in the championship with only four races (and two sprints) remaining.
Piastri has struggled at the low-grip Mexico City circuit in the past, and this weekend was no exception. The Australian driver was more than half a second slower than Norris in qualifying and starting eighth on the grid meant he got caught up in the opening-lap traffic jam.
Although Piastri was able to recover to finish fifth, it wasn't enough to hold onto the championship lead.
Bearman's brilliant performance
A maiden podium wasn't meant to be, but Haas driver Ollie Bearman scored the best result of his young career by finishing fourth.
The 20-year-old British rookie also gave Haas just its second top-four result, matching Romain Grosjean's finish from the 2018 Austrian GP.
It's been an impressive run of late for Bearman, who has earned points in four of the past six races and has outperformed veteran teammate Esteban Ocon throughout that stretch as well.
Having said that, Ocon's ninth-place finish also helped Haas jump Sauber for eighth in the constructors' championship. With seventh-place Aston Martin and sixth-place Racing Bulls now within range, a late-season surge for Haas could be financially beneficial.
Fight to the finish denied
It looked like we'd be in for a fierce fight to the line between Verstappen and Leclerc until the virtual safety car flashed during the penultimate lap of the race as Sainz was off the track.
That forced Verstappen to back off from his challenge until it was cleared with only half a lap to go. It wasn't enough for Verstappen to mount a final offensive push as he finished just under a second behind Leclerc.
Although Leclerc has been eliminated from championship contention, he hasn't thrown in the towel, scoring his seventh podium of the season.
Verstappen, looking to keep his pursuit of a fifth consecutive world championship alive, entered the weekend 40 points behind Piastri. The Dutch driver is now 36 points back of the new leader, Norris.
It looked like Hamilton would be in position to earn his first GP podium since joining Ferrari at the start of the year; however, the seven-time world champion ran afoul of the race officials. Although Hamilton wasn't penalized for his tangle with Verstappen, he was handed a 10-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. Hamilton, who may have also sustained floor damage, served his penalty during his first pit stop and salvaged an eight-place finish.
Sure, Hamilton has a sprint win with the team, but Ferrari has now gone a full year without a GP victory.
Still, Leclerc and Hamilton's combined results were enough for Ferrari to leapfrog Mercedes for second in the constructors' championship by one point. Hmm, that seems to be a common theme Sunday.
Mercedes meme
Mercedes drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell finished P6 and P7. If you're in middle school, you're probably laughing right now.
