After boos, Lando Norris defends his championship lead

Despite lifting the trophy on one of the most anticipated podiums of the season and consolidating his position as the new leader of the drivers' championship, Lando Norris didn't experience a complete celebration at the 2025 Mexican Grand Prix . At the end of the race, the British driver was booed by a section of the crowd gathered at the GNP Stadium, marking a bittersweet end to his victory.

Although Norris responded with a smile at the time, the topic came up again during the traditional post-race press conference.

“Lando, congratulations on the win, but I was wondering about the boos. Did they spoil your victory?” one of the reporters asked.

The McLaren driver responded humorously: “I like bittersweet things,” he joked before adopting a more serious tone. “I don't know why the boos are coming, to be honest, but people can do what they want, they have that right, and I think that's just the way sport is sometimes. What I also don't know is why I can't stop laughing when I get booed; I think it makes it a little more entertaining. It's not what you want, and I'd like people to cheer me on, but I have to focus on my own things.”

Norris recalled that this isn't the first time he's faced this type of reaction . "It also happened at Monza and other circuits," he said.

The matter took another turn when a journalist took the microphone to “give context” to the boos.

“Some fans think they're handing you the championship. At least in Mexico, that's where the boos are coming from,” he explained. “The crowd is asking for the three points (from the Italian Grand Prix) back, where you lost the position due to a poor pit stop and you scored three points more than Oscar. Would you be willing to give them back?”

Norris's expression changed immediately.

“Let them think what they want,” he responded seriously. “As a team, of course, we always try to be fair. Those were the comments we made then. This was the same as two years ago in Budapest, when I could have won the race and not let Oscar overtake again and win the race he deserved. The truth is, it made no difference.”

The Briton added: “It was the wrong decision we made as a team: to put him first or me first. But, hey, they're entitled to think what they want, although just as Oscar deserved to win last year in Budapest, I deserve to be ahead in Monza. It's that simple.”

The controversial team order

The origin of the controversy dates back to the Italian Grand Prix , where with seven laps remaining, Norris lost 5.9 seconds in a pit stop due to a problem with his front left wheel. This delay allowed Oscar Piastri, who had entered a lap earlier, to overtake him, something that had not been planned for in the British team's strategy.

Norris even asked the pit wall if there was a risk of undercut, but was assured they would hold their positions. However, once back on track, the order came to swap places, which caused discontent in Piastri.

“I mean, we said a slow pit stop was part of the race, so I don't really understand what's changed here,” the Australian complained over the radio.

That internal tension has continued ever since and was felt again in Mexico , where strategic errors and team decisions ultimately cost Piastri the lead in the drivers' championship, now in the hands of his teammate Lando Norris.

SV