McLaren duo's battle is great box office for Fl

And so, yet another dramatic twist in an increasingly gripping title fight has seen the once-trailing Lando Norris rise to the occasion brilliantly in Mexico to unseat his formerly unstoppable McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri from the lead in the points table that he has held since the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in April.

- David Tremayne

The script is now beginning to look even more preposterous than some of the more fanciful aspects of Fl The Movie.

And while that might be stressing the young racer from Australia as he ponders where a big points advantage went and sees his dream threatening to crumble with only four races to go, it is tremendous box office for the sport.

Once upon a time, the candour of the groundbreaking Drive to Survive Netflix saga boosted ratings so highly by giving fans across the globe key insights into the brutal reality of a sport that takes no prisoners.

Now in its seventh season, one might suggest that its appeal risks wearing a little thin, but thankfully the reality on the world’s race tracks is keeping a huge audience gripped.

First it was Norris to the fore. Then Piastri, as their individual fortunes waxed and waned. But then suddenly there was Max Verstappen, the Big Bad Wolf in his once-capricious but now revitalised Red Bull, homing in on them at a zillion miles an hour.