Ferrari and Red Bull Racing are tagging each other as F1 Mexico GP favourites, while Mercedes is hoping for damage limitation.
Heading into a grand prix weekend, there’s always a favorite, which has been Ferrari in recent times. Be it the track layout or a recent upgrade that’s given a team the edge, at least one outfit will be consistently strong throughout the F1 sessions.
In Mexico GP, however, F1 teams seem undecided as to who that favorite will be, each pointing the finger at the other, Ferrari is predicting a Red Bull domination as the latter expects a former controlled weekend, with Mercedes expecting damage limitation.
“After two races in which we could have done better, we arrive in Mexico determined to win,” said Ferrari team principal Mattia Binoto. “We will be aiming for our sixth consecutive pole, before looking to convert that into a victory.
“The Mexican track has plenty of elements that can catch you out, some of these linked to the fact we are racing at over 2000 metres above sea level. That makes fine tuning the settings on both the chassis and Power Unit side particularly complex, as the requirements are very specific to this track.
“The circuit features a variety of corner types as well as long straights on which, year after year, the record relating to top speeds has been beaten. The necessary compromise between having good top speed and sufficient downforce in the corners dictates the aero settings with which we will take to the track.”
Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel is less optimistic about their chances, even though he states they will be in the fight, but in overall terms, he reckons that Red Bull will be the team to beat in Mexico GP, based on previous races where they won in 2017 and 2018.
“Over the past couple of years, we have been on an upward trend in Mexico, although Red Bull has been the team to beat. But I think the gaps between us are getting smaller, so let’s see how we get on this year,” said the German.
Red Bull, however, disagree with Vettel’s prediction as Max Verstappen sides with Ferrari as the favorites. “I really enjoy driving there,” he said. “The track is very different as it’s at high altitude, which makes it low grip.
“The corners are also very technical so you have to work hard to make sure you get the best out of it but it’s a good track for us normally. I expect it to be a little bit more difficult this year because of Ferrari’s pace but I think we can still have a very good race.”
With Ferrari and Red Bull playing their game, Mercedes is the only team that seem certain to have an average weekend, as they already will put their focus on salvaging a result as their drivers Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas look for the title.
“We know that the four remaining races are not going to be easy and we expect Mexico to be the most difficult one for us,” said team principal Toto Wolff. “The high altitude of the track brings some fairly unusual challenges as the low air density affects the downforce of the car, the cooling and the engine performance.
“It’s a combination that doesn’t particularly suit our car, but we will give it everything to try and limit the damage. We look forward to the fight and to the amazing Mexican crowd that shares our love for racing and turns the weekend into a brilliant celebration of motorsport.”
The uncertainty should provide an interesting dynamic from Friday though to Sunday, although, from the outside, Ferrari do look strongest, based on their Singapore GP result, as the Asian track is very similar in character to Mexico.
Here’s the tyre choices for the grand prix
Here’s the details on the circuit changes, DRS zones and stewards
Wolff says equal opportunity as Hamilton looks set but Bottas not giving up
The story was written by Duncan Leahy and edited by Darshan Chokhani