After a dramatic United States Grand Prix that had a shocking turn of events post-race, fans couldn’t handle Austin’s heat. But the gift that is Formula 1 keeps on giving! The Mexican GP had an insane qualifying shootout! Against all expectations, it was Ferrari occupying the front row instead of Max Verstappen. Another promising contender at the Mexican GP was Lando Norris. Unfortunately, his bid for Pole was cut short by a strategic gamble that went wrong for the Papaya-clad outfit.

The season has been going well for McLaren, with their best weekend coming a few weeks earlier at the Qatar Grand Prix. But the Woking outfit’s return to the front-runners would face a hurdle in the form of Fernando Alonso, at the Mexican GP. It did not help that his team had made a blunder with the strategy too, adding to his misery!

Lando Norris is left without a safety net at the Mexican GP by McLaren after ‘mistakes’ were made

After being promoted due to Lewis Hamilton’s post-race DSQ to second at the US GP, Lando Norris was hoping lady luck would continue to favor him. But the tides turn against you as quickly as they befriended you! During qualifying at the Mexican GP, the Mclaren duo found themselves fighting for survival in Q1.

Reflecting on some errors during his first lap, the Brit was quoted by @TheMcLarenZone on Twitter, sharing, “I got told to box for some reason. I had to box for I dont know, some reason. I made some mistakes on the one lap I had.”

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Earlier during the session, McLaren had taken a gamble to use mediums for the first hot-lap. While Norris said the mediums were the correct choice during the post-qualifying interview, his lap was far from perfect. Setting out once more to aim for the pole, Norris was attempting his final hot lap when the Spaniard’s Aston Martin spun at turn 4, triggering a yellow flag. Unfortunately, Norris found himself to be nothing but an antelope in headlights, as the Brit was forced to abort his lap.

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While the car was capable of pole position performance, Norris couldn’t help but scratch his head. Why did McLaren take such a gamble? Whilst Norris failed to get into Q2, Piastri managed to make it to Q3, locking the 7th spot on the grid for Sunday. Amidst the heated team battle, Norris probably wants to have a word with Zak Brown regarding the qualifying fiasco.

Will McLaren be able to defend 4th against Aston Martin after Norris’ handicap?

A few weeks ago, Aston Martin did not think Mclaren was a serious threat to their claim on 4th in the constructor’s championship. They were quickly given a reality check after Mclaren overtook Fernando Alonso’s team in points after the US GP weekend. While Ferrari may be out of reach after the front-row lockout, Lando Norris will aim to fly through the grid at the Mexican GP as fast as he can. After all, they now find themselves in a spot worth defending!

With tensions heating up in the teammate rivalry, McLaren cannot afford to lose out on points because of careless mistakes! Whilst Norris and the MCL60 are capable of chasing the front-runners, the situation isn’t helping the Brit’s confidence. The uneasiness brewing in Lando Norris’ psyche after Oscar Piastri’s dominant arrival this season might be reaching its boiling point. 

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Will Lando Norris prove himself by putting in a mega stint from the back of the grid to perhaps challenge for a podium? The Ferraris might have gotten front-row, but Leclerc himself was not too confident post-qualifying in their hopes of defending for the lead. Will Norris persevere through the hardships, or is this one out of the bag?