5 things you should know for the Mexico Grand Prix
It’s time to spice up the championship. The second leg of the triple-header races – USA, Mexico, Brazil – starts today, and we’ve got a look at the important details that might impact the race weekend ahead.
1. Max Verstappen and Lando Norris overtake debate
The Lando Norris five-second penalty for overtaking Max Verstappen during the Austin GP is still under discussion. McLaren launched a bid to overturn the penalty, as the team claimed that Norris had no choice as he was pushed outside the track by Verstappen. This decision impacted the fight for the driver’s championship. With the third place in Austin, Verstappen is 57 points ahead of Norris with five races left in the season.
Within the 96-hour window after the race, the Papaya team sent a petition asking the FIA for the right to review the penalty. McLaren will meet the stewards and attempt to convince them with new evidence. Red Bull representatives will also be at the hearing. If the British team succeeds, a second hearing will be scheduled. This topic will also be addressed in a drivers’ meeting this weekend.
2. Mexico circuit altitude impacts the car performance
Mexico City is located at 2,200 meters altitude, which impacts car performance. Because of the thinner air the downforce, the force that pushes the car close to the ground, is reduced, and the teams change the back wing. On this occasion, they use a larger back wing setup, trying to increase the downforce and reduce the altitude impact.
Also, the potency unit and the refrigeration are the other two components that are affected because of the sea level difference. To try to compensate for the air density and to not cause a car general overheating, the teams usually open up brake ducts air intakes to allow the air in and out easily.
One last thing, the drivers are also affected as it’s harder to breathe in higher altitudes, so they need to make sure to arrive some days before to train at altitude and get their bodies acclimatized with the environment, producing more blood cells to take the oxygen to their muscles and brain.
3. Ferrari’s one-two win and the hope for the constructor’s titles
The Italian team achieved an impressive result in the USA race. Charles Leclerc went from P4 to P1 on the opening lap and secured the position throughout the whole race. Carlos Sainz finished P2 to reinforce what might be one of Ferrari’s strongest performances of the year.
The Ferrari team and fans celebrated the race strategy and pace, every detail worked well for them over last weekend. Heading to this race weekend, they expect to keep the good impression to battle for the constructor’s championship. Now, the team scored 496 points and is only eight points behind Red Bull, which is in second place, while McLaren leads with 544 points.
4. Fernando Alonso 400th Grand Prix
This weekend, the two-time world champion celebrates a milestone. He will become the first driver in the history of Formula 1 to compete in a 400th race weekend. This is an expressive number for his career, as he achieved 32 victories and over 100 podiums. However, he was absent from the paddock on Thursday for the media duties as he was feeling unwell. Aston Martin hopes that he will be back for free practice two.
Aston Martin’s reserve driver, the Brazilian Felipe Drugovich, will jump in Alonso’s car for the first practice session at the Mexico Grand Prix. The team has yet to fulfill the FIA’s rule requiring a rookie appearance at least once per season.
5. Kimi Antonelli second chance
The soon-to-be Mercedes driver will drive Lewis Hamilton’s car during the FP1 in Mexico. The driver will have a second chance after he crashed the car on his fifth lap in the Monza FP1.
After a weekend to forget in the United States Grand Prix, where Lewis Hamilton was eliminated in Q1 and spun off into the gravel only on the second lap. On the other hand, George Russell had a recovery drive starting from the pit lane to finishing in P6.
For Mexico, Mercedes hopes to find some consistency with the cars over the weekend.
