Ex-McLaren driver found Norris’ Mexican fans booing 'pretty poor'

Speaking on the BBC Chequered Flag podcast, Bird took aim at the Mexican crowd’s reaction to Norris after the race, saying: “The fans in Mexico are super passionate, and they’re great. They come out in their hundreds of thousands every year to support the sport that we love, but I thought that that was pretty poor, to be honest.

“The guy’s just put on an absolute masterclass, decimated the field, won by over 30 seconds, and he gets booed? I thought that that was poor.”

He then added: “There’s some people who are fans of motorsport that feel like Lando might be getting preferential treatment within the McLaren family. I don’t see that at all. I simply see a guy that’s made a better job of it in the last four races, and that’s it. So I think booing a guy that’s just put on a masterclass was wrong.”

Despite a dominant victory and a true driving masterclass, the British driver was met with constant boos when he took the microphone in the stadium after the race.

However, rather than letting it spoil the joy of his win, the McLaren driver appeared completely unfazed by the reaction, saying: “I don’t know why I can’t stop laughing when I get booed. I think it makes it more entertaining for me.”

Thanks to his dominant win in Mexico, Norris not only claimed his sixth victory of the season but, more importantly, took the lead in the championship, now sitting just one point ahead of his teammate with four race weekends still to go.