Only one week after america Grand Prix, Method 1 heads south of the border into Mexico for the second spherical of a triple header of races.
Not like final weekend in Austin, a standard race weekend format awaits drivers in Mexico Metropolis. The 1000’s of passionate Mexican followers who might be heading to the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez might be hoping for one more weekend of shut competitors on the entrance of the sphere, as was seen at Circuit of the Americas.
However may this be the final Mexican Grand Prix weekend for the nation’s most profitable Method 1 driver? These are the speaking factors for the Mexican Grand Prix.
Checo’s curtain name?
It’s been a tough few seasons for Sergio Perez.
Regardless of having his greatest 12 months of his profession, statistically, in 2023, coming second within the drivers’ championship to his workforce mate, and serving to his workforce to 2 consecutive constructors’ titles, Sergio Perez has constantly underperformed over the past two seasons relative to the potential of his automotive. Whereas Verstappen has dominated for a lot of that point and continued to attain podiums even when Crimson Bull have been caught by rivals, Perez has commonly been nowhere compared to his world champion workforce mate.
Though he signed a contract extension together with his workforce earlier within the 12 months, that has carried out little to spice up his on-track manufacturing. Over the months, Perez’s lack of factors in comparison with Verstappen have seen Crimson Bull lose the lead of the constructors’ championship – one thing that appeared unfathomable within the early part of the season because the workforce dominated.
Workforce principal Christian Horner has continued to stay affected person together with his second driver. However whereas he has publicly backed him, Horner has additionally not shied away from admitting they want Perez to be contributing much more to their constructors’ championship efforts than he’s. The stress on him has solely elevated following Liam Lawson’s profitable return to Crimson Bull’s second workforce final weekend.
On the very least, Perez will wish to placed on a greater displaying than final 12 months, when he was eradicated from the race on the first nook after clashing with Charles Leclerc.
Mercedes’ thriller automotive
Out of the 4 race successful groups in 2024, none have fluctuated a lot in type or been as tough to foretell race-to-race as Mercedes.
The workforce which have received three rounds thus far this season appeared like they have been primed to be a critical power in Austin, with solely an unlucky yellow flag for Lewis Hamilton arguably stopping them from securing pole place for the dash race in Friday qualifying. However from that time onwards, Mercedes’ weekend fell aside.
George Russell slipped backwards within the dash race earlier than Lewis Hamilton was astonishingly eradicated from grand prix qualifying in sixteenth place. Then Russell crashed out in Q3, damaging his automotive a lot that he was compelled to begin the race from the pit lane. Though Russell recovered to sixth, Hamilton spun out of the race on solely the second lap.
This weekend, which Mercedes will present up in Mexico? Will the workforce begin sturdy and carry momentum via the remainder of the weekend, or will their tempo vanish once they want it most for the second straight weekend?
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Guidelines of racing below query once more
The controversial finish to Sunday’s race in Austin noticed the stewards successfully resolve whether or not Max Verstappen or Lando Norris would obtain the ultimate podium place after their newest on-track conflict.
Finally, Norris misplaced third place after the stewards determined he was responsible of passing Verstappen illegally off the observe. They cited the FIA’s driving requirements pointers, noting that Verstappen had been forward on the apex of the nook as they ran side-by-side into flip 12, however the truth the Crimson Bull additionally ran off the observe appeared to fall into a gray space inside the guidelines.
It’s inevitable that the foundations are going to be below the highlight this weekend as drivers search to make clear what is appropriate and what’s not after a sequence of incidents down at flip 12 which resulted in penalties – together with one to Oscar Piastri within the dash race that even the Ferrari drivers agreed didn’t appear honest.
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Battle for sixth spices up
Though the main target continues to be on the struggle on the entrance of the sphere, the competitors within the midfield is getting more and more thrilling additionally as each factors rating turns into increasingly essential.
Final weekend in Austin, there was a big shift within the decrease half of the constructors’ championship standings. RB, who’ve held sixth place within the championship because the third spherical in Australia, have been overtaken by Haas who loved an distinctive displaying of their dwelling grand prix, taking factors within the dash race and the grand prix.
Haas have steadily constructed momentum all through the season below new workforce principal Ayao Komatsu, together with just lately asserting a brand new technical partnership with Toyota Gazoo Racing. In the event that they preserve their present place, will probably be Haas’ greatest season since 2018, the place they secured fifth place.
Nevertheless, this was a very sturdy weekend for RB final season, with Daniel Ricciardo qualifying on the second row for the race and ending in seventh. RB might be hoping for one more good displaying on the circuit this weekend, to assist land a counter punch to the blow dealt to them by Haas in Austin.
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O’Ward’s Friday cameo
The top of the season means it’s time for groups to cram of their obligatory Friday observe junior driver periods whereas they nonetheless can.
This weekend, McLaren IndyCar driver Pato O’Ward will get a really particular alternative to run the workforce’s automotive in his dwelling nation. O’Ward has beforehand participated in two observe periods in his profession, in Abu Dhabi in each 2022 and 2023.
Three different juniors will even seem tomorrow. Andrea Kimi Antonelli will even return for Mercedes, little question hoping to keep away from a repeat of his Monza crash.
Robert Shwartzman will step into Zhou Guanyu’s Sauber on Friday, his second outing of the season following his earlier look at Zandvoort, and Felipe Drugovich will take over Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin.
Alonso’s four-hundredth weekend
Though he received’t participate within the first session, this weekend will mark Alonso’s four-hundredth participation in a Method 1 grand prix occasion.
He isn’t set to but make his four-hundredth grand prix begin till the penultimate spherical of the season in Qatar. Nonetheless this would be the first time a driver has appeared on 400 grand prix entry lists – 35.7% of all world championship rounds held by then.
Testing tyres
Friday’s second observe session might be unusually lengthy this weekend as Pirelli have been given the chance to check out their supposed tyres for 2025. To do that, the session has been prolonged by half-hour to final a complete of 90.
Groups will get the chance to check a brand new potential C6 compound designed to assist enhance technique choices round avenue circuits following the dreadfully uninteresting Monaco Grand Prix.
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Are you going to the Mexican Grand Prix?
For those who’re heading to Mexico for this weekend’s race, we wish to hear from you:
Who do you suppose would be the workforce to beat within the Mexican Grand Prix? Have your say under.
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