Lando Norris responds to boos from Mexican Grand Prix crowd after dominant McLaren win

Follow us on Google Discover

While Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc received deafening cheers at the Mexican Grand Prix, the fans showed little warmth to race winner Lando Norris.

This year’s Mexican GP is the first without Sergio Perez since the event returned to the calendar in 2015. Perez will be back on the grid next year with Cadillac.

In his absence, many of the supporters seem to be cheering on the Ferrari duo. Leclerc and Hamilton both had to pause during their post-qualifying parc ferme interviews while the cheers settled.

After finishing on the podium last year, McLaren driver Lando Norris was booed. And he received a similar reception both before and after Sunday’s race.

David Croft says Lando Norris was booed at the Mexican Grand Prix

Speaking on Sky Sports during the drivers’ parade, David Croft noted that some fans in the iconic stadium section booed when Norris appeared on the big screen.

The atmosphere at the race, which will be on the calendar until at least the 2028 season, was otherwise described as ‘brilliant’.

Norris was also jeered after the Italian GP, where he finished second. This may have been linked to a team orders controversy at McLaren, with Oscar Piastri ordered to return second place after the Briton’s slow pit stop.

“The view is fantastic, the atmosphere is brilliant and the fans were actually booing when Lando Norris came up on the big screen,” said Croft.

Speaking to F1TV’s James Hinchcliffe beneath the podium after a dominant victory, Norris vowed to ignore the negativity.

“It’s one weekend at a time, so I’m happy,” he said. “I’m focused on myself. I keep my head down, and ignore all of this. It’s working at the minute.”

Why did the fans boo Lando Norris?

Norris is no longer an underdog figure in F1, with his McLaren team now winning back-to-back titles. He came to Mexico as a nine-time Grand Prix winner with 41 podiums.

Success tends to make drivers more divisive. At the US GP last weekend, Piastri’s name was cheered louder than Norris’, indicating that some fans have picked a side.

There may be a feeling in some quarters that Piastri has been treated unfairly and Norris has benefited. The team’s calls from the pit wall have tended to fall the latter’s way, though they say put this down to the specific circumstances.

Previously number one, Norris fell down the list of F1’s most popular drivers, with his teammate taking the top spot.

Norris was critical of Perez at times last year, which may not have gone down well with the Mexican fans either.