It’s Grand Prix week as the F1 paddock heads to sunny Mexico City for the 22nd edition of the Mexico City Grand Prix. In terms of titles, there’s nothing left to be sorted after Max Verstappen’s string of dominant performances this season, except the battle for silver and bronze medals between Sergio Perez, Ferrari and Mercedes.
As it stands, it’s expected to be dry in Mexico until race day, when the famous monsoons of the Caribbean may attack between 1 and 5pm local time, which could cause plenty of problems for the drivers.
Where: Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City, Mexico
When: October 28th to October 30th, 2022
Schedule (BST):
FP1: Friday, 7pm
FP2: Friday, 10pm
FP3: Saturday, 6pm
Qualifying: Saturday, 9pm
Race: Sunday, 8pm
READ MORE:
- Verstappen wins second world title
- 24-race schedule for 2023 includes three in the US
- Perez 5/1 to win in Mexico City - Betfred*
2021 Winner:
Last year saw Max Verstappen win after taking Valtteri Bottas on the first corner and running the show for much of the afternoon except for pit stops. Behind him on the podium were Lewis Hamilton in second and third-placed Sergio Perez, who became the first Mexican to lead a Mexican GP when he was waiting for a pit stop. He also became the first Mexican to get on the podium in their home race, and many will be hoping he can turn a podium success into a win.
Talking Points:
Max Verstappen can continue to dominate the sport this season in more ridiculous ways. A win this weekend will bring his tally up to 14 this season, which will move surpass the record he currently holds with Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel.
Hot on the tail, Mercedes have been trying to find a way to even the playing field all season. Last weekend’s performance in Austin was superb by the German outfit, with Lewis Hamilton almost completing a famous first win of the season until he was inevitably caught by both time and Max Verstappen.
For those of you scared of heights, the altitude will be at a season high this weekend, at 2,200 metres above sea level. For context, the second highest is Interlagos in Sao Paulo, Brazil at 800m.
Because of this quirk, teams must prepare to cool down their parts more than ever due to the higher temperatures and low air density. The downforce on the car is severely affected too, with a high downforce setup like you’d see in Baku or Monaco being translated into a car with Monza-level downforce (the lowest on the calendar).
@SChecoPerez served up some fresh donuts in his hometown of Guadalajara 🇲🇽
🎥 x @redbullracing
#MexicoGP #F1
The Track:
The track over in Ciudad de Mexico is certainly an interesting one. The main circuit was designed by a student named Oscar Fernandez as part of his thesis, but unless that thesis was ‘what would happen if we made the longest straight of all time, added a few tasty corners and a baseball stadium?’ then we’re not quite sure how they’ve ended up with this.
This track is popular with drivers however, as the laps come quickly and there’s plenty to get their teeth stuck into in terms of room for overtakes. The Baseball Stadium ‘Foro’ is a good spectacle with a tight hairpin in the centre for the brimming stands to enjoy.
The 1.2 km straight at the start of the track provides plenty of room for wheel-to-wheel racing, probably measuring at just over four cars’ width. There’s three DRS zones on the track too, one between turn 17 and turn 1, then between turn 3 and turn 4 and on the straight down into the baseball stadium at turn 12.
Max Verstappen: 8/13
Charles Leclerc: 5/1
Sergio Perez: 5/1
Lewis Hamilton: 9/1
Carlos Sainz: 12/1
Standings:
Drivers’ Championship
1) Max Verstappen: 391 points (C)
2) Charles Leclerc: 267
3) Sergio Perez: 265
4) George Russell: 218
5) Carlos Sainz: 202
6) Lewis Hamilton 198
7) Lando Norris 109
8) Esteban Ocon 79
9) Fernando Alonso 65
10) Valtteri Bottas 46
Constructor’s Championship
Red Bull Racing: 656 points (C)
Ferrari: 469
Mercedes-AMG: 416
Alpine: 144
McLaren: 138
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject to Change
