GP Mexico: Timetable, standings, track info

Mexico GP Timetable

Just like last weekend, the promotion will only take place late in the day (Dutch time). So on Saturday and Sunday you have plenty of time during the day for a tour ride or a classic meeting, and in the evening you can curl up on the couch to watch Formula 1. It’s all just a bit earlier in the evening than last weekend, so the chance is also a bit smaller that you show up at work on Monday with small eyes. Just like last weekend, the second free practice will take half an hour longer than usual, as the Pirelli 2023 tires are again tested. In the US it turned out that they are ‘slower’ than this year’s tires. Now let’s see how they come out in Mexico.

Championship standings

In Japan, Red Bull already took the drivers’ title with Max Verstappen, it added the constructors’ title in the United States. With three races to go, the highest places have already been taken, but beyond that it remains exciting. With the drivers especially between Sergio Pérez and Charles Leclerc. However, Lewis Hamilton also has a good chance of knocking Carlos Sainz from fifth place. Both Sainz and Hamilton have a view of P4 with a bit of luck. It’s all pretty close together.

Among the constructors, it is still a bit exciting whether Ferrari will be able to keep its second place, especially because Mercedes again showed a strong performance in the US. Also between Alpine and McLaren, the battle is far from decided. Further back, Aston Martin is now close behind Alfa Romeo and the battle for eighth place remains tense between Haas and AlphaTauri. That may not seem very relevant, but it could make a significant difference in the prize money at the end of this year.

Circuit

The Mexican Grand Prix will be held at the Autodrómo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City. A circuit that has changed a lot over the years, especially when the last part of the circuit was moved in 2015 so that the cars can drive through the stadium. The circuit is named after the Mexican drivers Ricardo and Pedro Rodríguez who died during races. Ricardo Rodríguez actually died on this circuit in 1962, older brother Pedro nine years later at the Norisring in Germany. The circuit hosted Formula 1 for the first time in 1986 and also in the following years up to and including 1992. In 2015, after extensive renovation and adjustments in many areas, it was put back on the calendar.

The circuit has a number of notable features. In addition to the stadium section from Turn 12 to Turn 16 (where it’s packed with eager Mexicans during the race) there’s a huge straight, followed by a right-angle right. At the start, that usually creates quite a spectacle, because the drivers arrive at the first corner with immense speed. Max Verstappen managed to go from P3 to P1 at the start here last year by braking the two Mercedes drivers.

An additional challenge of the circuit is that it is very high; no less than 2.2 km above sea level. So the air is thin here and that makes the engines of the F1 cars more difficult. That draws the possible power differences between the power sources more equal. The latter helped Max Verstappen on his way to victory in his Red Bull (despite the inferior Renault engine) in 2017 and 2018. Verstappen won the race for the third time last year, but it was Valtteri Bottas who took the fastest lap with 1:17.774. Bottas also took pole position here last time, with a time of 1:15,875. Coming Sunday, the drivers will complete 71 laps of the relatively short circuit to reach a race distance of 305.4 km.

What do you think will be the top 3 in Mexico? Let me know in the comments!