Round 20 of the 2024 Formula One season takes us to Mexico. With 17 corners, two DRS zones, and a major long straight heading into turn one, Mexico should bring some high-powered action this weekend!
Before we jump into the current standings for both Championships and take a look into what to expect at the Mexico Grand Prix, a couple of things to mention:
Authors Note 1: The Formula One Season has two main championship competitions. The first is the Drivers' Championship, which is a competition between the individual drivers. The drivers who finish in the top 10 each weekend will score points (the higher you place, the more points you get). These points are added up, and whichever driver finishes with the most points at the end of the season will win the Drivers' Championship. The next is the Constructors' Championship, a competition between the teams. The number of points the drivers within a team get each race is combined, creating the total points for the team (E.g., Lando Norris has scored 297 points, and Oscar Piastri has scored 247 points, giving the McLaren team 544 points in the Constructors' Championship). The team whose drivers accumulate the most points combined for their team will win the Constructors' Championship.
Author's Note 2: 23 drivers will be listed in the Drivers' Championship. Oliver Bearman was a replacement driver for Carlos Sainz for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and Kevin Magnussen for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Also, Franco Calapinto has replaced Logan Sargeant at Williams, and Liam Lawson has replaced Daniel Ricciardo at RB for the remainder of the season. If a driver is tied with another driver in the Drivers' Championship, the tiebreaker goes to whoever has had the highest place-finish throughout the season.
Here is a look at the current Drivers' and Constructors' standings before the race weekend:
Drivers' Championship Standings:
Max Verstappen 354 points
Lando Norris 297 points
Charles Leclerc 275 points
Oscar Piastri 247 points
Carlos Sainz 215 points
Lewis Hamilton 177 points
George Russell 167 points
Sergio Perez 150 points
Fernando Alonso 62 points
Nico Hulkenberg 29 points
Lance Stroll 24 points
Yuki Tsunoda 22 points
Alexander Albon 12 points
Danny Ricciardo 12 points
Kevin Magnussen 8 points
Pierre Gasly 8 points
Oliver Bearman 7 points
Franco Colapinto 5 points
Esteban Ocon 4 points
Liam Lawson. 2 points
Zhou Guanyu 0 points
Logan Sargeant 0 points
Valtteri Bottas 0 points
Constructor's Championship Standings:
McLaren 544 points
Red Bull 504 points
Ferrari 496 points
Mercedes 344 points
Aston Martin 86 points
Haas 38 points
Racing Bulls 36 points
Williams 17 points
Alpine 13 points
Kick Sauber 0 points
Standings were found at F1.com.
Alpine
Alpine had a solid weekend last time out, and will be looking to capitalize on their pace more in Mexico. In Austin, for the Sprint, Esteban Ocon qualified 17th and finished 15th, while Pierre Gasly qualified 12th and finished 14th. For the main race, Ocon qualified 13th and finished 18th, while Gasly qualified 7th and finished 12th.
Alpine's upgrades seemed to have worked very well in Austin. If it wasn't for a slow pit stop for Gasly, he most likely would have scored points. With Ocon likely to receive these upgrades on his car this weekend in Mexico, Alpine could make a splash. Gasly's pace with the upgrades was substantially faster than Ocon's (who did not have the upgrades. The reason teams will give upgrades to only one driver rather than putting it on both at one time is in the case that the upgrades do not actually upgrade the car. Teams want to see the pace difference between the upgraded and not upgraded car, which will help them assess whether the upgrade is worth putting on both cars.). Look for Alpine to possibly score points this weekend, if they get out of their own way.
Race Prediction:
Ceiling: 8th-11th place finish for both drivers
Floor: 15th-18th place finish for both drivers
Aston Martin
Aston Martin will be looking to rebound from a very poor weekend in Austin last week. Last time out, For the Sprint, Fernando Alonso qualified 14th and finished 18th, while Lance Stroll qualified and finished 13th. For the Grand Prix, Alonso qualified 8th and finished 13th, while Stroll qualified 14th and finished 15th.
Aston Martin needs to step up their game in Mexico. Yes, they do have a substantial enough lead in the Constructors' Championship, but their place in the Drivers' Championship is still up in the air, especially for Stroll. Aston Martin also needs to prove that the driver duo they have now can produce at a similar level consistently because, right now, that is not happening.
Race Prediction
Ceiling: 7th-10th place finish for Alonso and 9th-12th place finish for Stroll
Floor: 12th-15th place finish for Alonso and 16th-18th place finish for Stroll
Ferrari
Ferrari were brilliant last weekend, dominating the weekend. For the Sprint, Charles Leclerc started 3rd and finished 4th, while Carlos Sainz started 5th and finished 2nd. For the main race, Leclerc qualified 4th and won the race, while Sainz qualified 3rd and finished 2nd.
Looking into this weekend in Mexico, Ferrari's pace cannot be ignored. Having brought no upgrades to the car last weekend while their biggest competitors did, yet still dominating, is a cause for concern for other teams. Leclerc and Sainz have been driving extremely well, with the team also being on point when it comes to race strategy.
Ferrari is now officially in the fight for the Constructors' Championship, which is something no one really expected. Ferrari could very well be the biggest winner of the weekend again. If they can string together a couple of weekends similar to that of Austin, they can absolutely take over Red Bull for 2nd place, maybe even competing with McLaren for 1st. Though it still seems like McLaren's Constructors' Championship to lose, Ferrari's run of form could boost them closer each weekend.
Race Prediction
Ceiling: 1st-3rd place for both drivers
Floor: 4th-6th place finish for Leclerc and 5th-8th place finish for Sainz
Haas
Haas showed strong pace last weekend and Austin, separating themselves even more from the midfield teams such as RB, Aston Martin, and Williams. In the Sprint, Nico Hulkenberg qualified 6th and finished 8th, while Kevin Magnussen qualified 8th and finished 7th. For the Grand Prix, Hulkenberg qualified 12th and finished 8th, while K-Mag qualified 9th and finished 11th.
Hass' pace has been consistent all year, but since the end of the summer break, they have started to grow more and more separation from the other midfield teams. It is becoming less and less of a surprise every time Haas fights for points. Mexico should be no different for them. The format of the track should fit their car well. Both drivers are coming off a strong weekend, so fans should expect that to roll through Mexico.
Race Prediction
Ceiling: 7th-10th place finish for Hulkenberg and 8th-11th place finish for Magnussen
Floor: 12th-15th place finish for Hulkenberg and 14th-17th place finish for Magnussen
Kick Sauber
Sauber's season thus far has been nothing short of embarrassing, with last weekend being the latest example. For the Sprint, Valtteri Bottas qualified 19th and finished 20th, while Zhou Guanyu qualified 20th and finished 19th. For the main race, Bottas qualified 18th and finished 17th, while Zhou qualified 20th and finished 19th (which was last place due to Hamilton's DNF).
There is not much to preview when it comes to the Sauber team as every race produced a similar result. Having not finished in the top 12 since the first race of the season, there should be no hope for Sauber to compete at all this weekend.
Race Prediction
Ceiling: 15th-17th place finish for both drivers
Floor: Bottom two places on the grid
McLaren
After a controversial weekend for the team, McLaren ultimately did not produce the result they wanted last time out. For the Sprint, Lando Norris qualified 4th and finished 3rd, while Oscar Piastri qualified 16th and finished 10th. For the main race, Norris started 1st and finished 4th, while Piastri qualified and finished 5th.
Looking into this weekend in Mexico, McLaren will have another chance at a race win. Though the idea of catching up to Max Verstappen in the Drivers' Standings seems to get more and more unrealistic each race, it is still something to fight for. Plus, they still need to protect their lead in the Constructors' Standings. McLaren will be racing with much intent and purpose this weekend, which is something to look out for.
Race Prediction
Ceiling: 1st-3rd place finish for both drivers
Floor: 4th-6th place finish for both drivers
Mercedes
Mercedes are in desperate need of a better race result after what happened in Austin. For the Sprint, George Russell started 2nd and finished 5th, while Lewis Hamilton started 7th and finished 6th. For the Grand Prix, Russell started from the pit lane (19th) and finished 6th, while Hamilton also started from the pit lane (20th) after qualifying 19th, and did not finish the race.
Mercedes left too much on the table in Austin. The pace was there; Russell moved up 13 places while Hamilton moved up 8 in the first couple of laps before he spun out. The upgrades did bring the car quicker pace, which means it comes down to the execution of the drivers this weekend in Mexico. Both drivers are far too talented to allow for the type of weekend they had in Austin to happen again.
Young phenom and future Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli will also be driving during the 1st practice session of the weekend, which is also something to note.
Race Prediction
Ceiling: 3rd-6th place for both drivers
Floor: 6th-9th place for both drivers
Racing Bulls
RB had a solid weekend last time out in Austin. For the Sprint, Yuki Tsnuoda qualified 9th and finished 11th, while Liam Lawson qualified 15th and finished 16th. For the main race, Yuki qualified 11th and finished 14th, while Lawson qualified 15th and finished 9th.
The biggest thing to watch for RB is not necessarily the result, but more the competition between drivers. Lawson and Tsunoda need to prove to Red Bull that they are the one who deserves the seat alongside Max Verstappen (if it is to become available). Lawson proved right away that he will bring a mighty challenge to Tsunoda, something Yuki has not had for most of this season. Every race counts for these two, as a life-changing career move is on the line.
Race Prediction
Ceiling: 8th-11th place for both drivers
Floor: 12th-16th place for both drivers
Red Bull
Red Bull had their typical weekend last time out, with one driver producing and the other not. For the Sprint, Sergio Perez started 11th and finished 9th, while Max Verstappen started 1st and finished in 1st. For the Grand Prix, Perez qualified in 10th and finished 7th, while Verstappen qualified 2nd and finished 3rd.
Mexico may be Perez's last chance to show his team why he deserves the seat he is holding. He has only had one top-6 finish in the last 13 races. As a Red Bull driver, this is absolutely unacceptable. Even with the car struggling for a good portion of the season, Verstappen was still able to salvage good results, keeping the team afloat. This is Perez's home race. He needs to produce.
For Verstappen, he just needs to keep doing what he is doing. Considering the pace of the car and Verstappen's talent, he should not have a problem doing so in Mexico, which is a track he runs well at.
Race Prediction
Ceiling: 1st-4th place finish for Verstappen and 4th-7th place finish for Perez
Floor: 4th-6th place finish for Verstappen and 9th-11th place finish for Perez
Williams
Williams has a major dilemma on their hands regarding their drivers. Last time out in Austin, for the Sprint, Alex Albon qualified 18th and finished 17th, while Franco Colapinto qualified 10th and finished 12th. For the main race, Albon qualified and finished 16th, while Colapinto qualified 17th and finished 10th.
Franco Colapinto's form has been nothing short of impressive. As a driver who never really had any major production in F2, the way he has taken this opportunity and ran with it should have Williams questioning things. Yes, Albon is still under contract, and has driven well enough over the past couple of years to merit another season alongside Carlos Sainz in 2025. However, in the years when Albon impressed, his teammate was not good at all. Now, as soon as he has a good teammate, he has been struggling. This is something fans need to keep an eye on throughout the weekend in Mexico.
Willimas should produce a strong result this weekend, regardless of the driver controversy. Their pace has looked strong since the end of the summer break, and are racing on a track that should work with the car's strengths.
Race Prediction
Ceiling: 9th-11th place finish for both drivers
Floor: 12th-16th place finish for both drivers
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Catch you next time!
-Matt Hylen
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