Mexican Grand Prix: Lando Norris cuts gap after Max Verstappen as Carlos Sainz takes victory

Norris drove a superb last stint to decorativeness 2nd successful Mexico City, down victor Carlos Sainz but crucially 4 places up of Verstappen arsenic helium chopped the pb to 47 points with 4 races remaining and 120 points to play for.

Norris was demoted down Verstappen aft being penalised for overtaking his rival disconnected the way successful Austin past clip out, with the arguable incidental dominating the docket passim this weekend.

McLaren challenged that five-second punishment arsenic they arrived successful Mexico, claiming that Norris was up and Verstappen had forced him disconnected the track, but the stewards rejected their close of review.

The rubric protagonists came unneurotic again conscionable 10 laps successful astatine the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez arsenic Norris was forced to permission the way doubly wrong 3 corners.

Verstappen forced Norris wide astatine crook 5 earlier charging into crook eight, moving Norris disconnected the way and staying up arsenic the McLaren antheral skirted with the wall.

On this juncture the stewards agreed that the Dutchman was successful the wrong. The title person was initially handed a 10-second punishment for forcing Norris disconnected the way astatine crook five.

"Ten!? That's rather impressive," Verstappen said implicit the radio.

His contention technologist Gian-Piero Lambiase replied: "There was a batch of whinging. A lot."

But it soon got a full batch worse for the three-time satellite champion arsenic the stewards punished him with different 10-second punishment for gaining an vantage by leaving the way astatine crook eight.

Norris said aft the race: "It was a pugnacious race. A batch of the archetypal fewer laps was trying to enactment successful the contention and debar immoderate crashes.

"I knew what to expect (from Max). I didn't privation to expect specified a happening due to the fact that I respect Max arsenic a driver. Not precise cleanable driving but I avoided him."

Norris had started third, a spot down his title rival, connected the 768-metre blast down to crook 1 - the longest connected the Formula One calendar.

Verstappen got the amended start, rapidly jumping up of pole-sitter Sainz.

Norris had got a bully slipstream down the starring brace but could find nary mode done and the conflict was soon neutralised by a information car aft a dense first-corner collision betwixt Yuki Tsunoda and Alex Albon - with some drivers retiring from the race.

The Mexican assemblage person roared connected Sergio Perez each weekend, contempt the under-pressure Red Bull operator qualifying lone a lowly 18th.

He surged up to 13th by the clip the information car was called but, to adhd further misery to the antheral who this week labelled his play arsenic "terrible", helium was handed a five-second punishment for a mendacious commencement aft opening extracurricular his grid box.

The contention resumed connected thigh 7 arsenic Verstappen comfortably retained his vantage but Sainz remained with DRS scope and conscionable 2 laps aboriginal utilized it to sling up the wrong astatine crook 1 and regain the lead.

But that was lone the commencement of the play arsenic adjacent clip astir Norris and Verstappen came together.

"I was up the full mode done the corner." Norris said implicit the radio.

"This feline is dangerous. It's the aforesaid arsenic past time. I'll beryllium successful the partition successful a minute."

The stewards agreed with Norris, handing Verstappen his 20 seconds of penalties. Austin contention victor Leclerc passed the brace of them during the play to determination up to second.

Verstappen pitted and served his 20-second punishment connected thigh 27, dropping from 3rd to 15th and implicit 41 seconds down Norris. The Red Bull antheral soon charged backmost up to decorativeness sixth, however, arsenic helium attempted to bounds the harm successful pursuit of his 4th successive satellite title.

But Norris produced a superb thrust connected the hard tyres arsenic helium clawed distant astatine Leclerc's advantage, getting wrong DRS scope earlier Leclerc ran wide astatine the last country to output 2nd place.

Sainz cruised to his 2nd triumph of the play successful a boost to Ferrari's constructors' title hopes.

Mercedes brace George Russell and Lewis Hamilton duelled throughout, with Hamilton yet passing his team-mate with 5 laps remaining to assertion fourth.

Perez pitted astatine the extremity from 16th and finished past successful what could beryllium to beryllium his last location race.