Martin Brundle hails the ‘perfect’ Lando Norris moment in Mexico that reminded him of Max Verstappen

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Lando Norris put on a dominant display at the Mexico City Grand Prix to regain control of the world championship, and Martin Brundle saw the McLaren driver channelling something that reminded him of Max Verstappen.

The 25-year-old had trailed Oscar Piastri in the F1 standings since the end of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in April, with his victory at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez finally putting him back in charge of the 2025 F1 title fight.

It was a near-perfect weekend for Norris, who led every single lap of the Grand Prix after taking pole position in qualifying on Saturday.

However, his hopes of securing a maiden Grand Slam in the sport were scuppered by George Russell, who snatched the fastest lap on lap 50.

Norris moved to just one point ahead of his McLaren counterpart in the championship, and with Verstappen’s Red Bull team not giving up the fight just yet, he’s going to need to replicate his dominance from Mexico at every race from here on out.

READ MORE: Martin Brundle sends message to Oscar Piastri fans who think McLaren are favouring Lando Norris

Martin Brundle saw Lando Norris find an ‘overdrive’, something Max Verstappen has ‘at all times’

Speaking on an episode of the F1 Show podcast in review of the recent race weekend in Mexico, former F1 driver Brundle shared what he had seen from Norris that bodes well for the upcoming title showdown in the final four weekends.

He said: “I thought it was an outstanding weekend for Lando. If we’d have seen that kind of performance from Max or Lewis or even [Jacques Villeneuve] there, we’d have talked about it in hushed tones because it was outstanding.

“You often hear me talk about when I commentated on championship showdowns that one or more of the combatants, the main participants, seem to find an overdrive gear somehow. And that was Lando’s overdrive.

“Max seems to have the overdrive engaged at all times, but I just thought that quali lap, the perfect start defending into the most difficult first corner of the year, heading off into the distance was just perfect. Just the sort of statement and confidence booster he needs right now.

David Coulthard has also highlighted Norris’ newfound ability to perform under pressure, something that he lacked during his outside shot of leapfrogging Verstappen to the title last season.

The mistakes that Norris made during the final leg of the 2024 F1 season were magnified after his title rival clinched a fourth consecutive championship at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Martin Brundle highlights how much Lando Norris’ mentality has changed in F1 over the last 12 months

Brundle elaborated on the growth that he has seen from the McLaren star since his failed title bid in 2024, detailing how his verdict on Norris’ mentality has changed over the last 12 months.

On the topic of whether the British driver can withstand the pressure that will come with chasing a maiden title in the final rounds of the season, Brundle said, “A year ago, I’d have said no, with Lando.

“But he and the team have done so much work on this aspect and just the way he’s batted away disappointment.

READ MORE: Andrea Stella knows Max Verstappen will punish McLaren’s drivers if one thing happens at the Sao Paulo GP

“Baku, whatever they say, was a wasted opportunity. Obviously, the contact in Canada hurt him. He couldn’t do anything about the engine failure in Zandvoort and he obviously couldn’t do anything about getting clouted in Austin.

“But he’s managing that. Even the booing at the end of the race, which I found somewhat bizarre, but he’s just finding a way to compartmentalise that, package it up, not let it get to him.

“Lando of a year or two ago wouldn’t have handled the start as well as that. I think he’s really completing the full set of cards there.”