David Croft says Ferrari were ‘upset’ by the joke Lando Norris made at their expense in Mexico

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Ferrari were the closest challengers to dominant McLaren driver Lando Norris during the Mexican Grand Prix weekend. But even they couldn’t get close.

Charles Leclerc was sitting on provisional pole after the first runs of Q3, but Norris smashed his benchmark by nearly three-tenths of a second. With Lewis Hamilton third, it seemed as if he may be strategically outnumbered during the race.

But Hamilton fell away after an early penalty and Leclerc simply couldn’t keep up. Norris’ eventual winning margin was over 30 seconds, the largest of the 2025 season so far.

Norris has now taken seven victories on his own since Ferrari last stood on the top step of the podium (at Mexico last year).

Ferrari took exception to Lando Norris’ lift-and-coast comments

During Saturday’s post-qualifying press conference, the top three were asked if they were ‘worried’ about being told to lift and coast during the race. Cooling is particularly challenging in Mexico because of both the temperature and the altitude.

For Ferrari, ‘LICO’ is more important as a means of protecting the underbody. Hamilton was disqualified from the Chinese GP in March for excessive plank wear.

Norris poked fun at Ferrari over the recurring issue, saying: “I mean, ask these guys – they’re pros at it. These guys, they do it every race. Yeah, I think you always have to do it a little bit, but never as much as these guys.”

Leclerc added that it would ‘definitely’ be a ‘big part of the race’ for Ferrari, but the team themselves were ‘upset’ by Norris’ comments. David Croft says they disagree with the notion that they’re affected far more than other teams.

During his race commentary for Sky Sports, Croft said: “Lando Norris picked up on that in the top-three press conference after qualifying when he was asked about lift and coast.

“He said, ‘Well ask these two, they do it way more than we do’, which upset Ferrari a bit because they said that, ‘Actually, we don’t.’ They’re having to today.”

Lewis Hamilton’s lift-and-coast radio in Mexico embarrasses Ferrari

Hamilton alone was told to lift and coast 18 times during the race. It’s one of the most frustrating instructions a driver can receive because it forces them to sacrifice lap time and goes against their attacking instincts.

Indeed, Hamilton called one particular request ‘ridiculous’, and later complained that he couldn’t catch the cars ahead with such restrictions. The optics are poor for Ferrari, who seem to have a fundamentally flawed car.

Leclerc has complained about the 2025 car more than his teammate, but Hamilton’s exasperation was clear on Sunday. As of the chequered flag in Mexico, Ferrari have officially scored fewer than half of McLaren’s points (713 vs 356).