Preview | Verstappen clear favourite for the Mexican Grand Prix

The Mexican Grand Prix has only been won by Nico Rosberg, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen since its return in 2015. Will a new name be added to the honours list this year, or will one of the title rivals manage to make a significant impact here? You can read all about the Mexican GP in this preview from GPblog.

Mexican GP

In 1962 a Mexican Grand Prix was organised for the first time. In the public park Magdalena Mixhuca Sports City, a circuit was built where the F1 came for the first time for an unofficial GP. In 1963, Formula 1 would add Mexico to the official calendar for the first time.

In 1962, the race was won by Jim Clark and Trevor Taylor on behalf of Lotus-Climax. Clark would win again in Mexico in 1963 and 1967, making him the record holder with three wins. The first one however didn't count for the official statistics because it wasn't an official race.

The Mexican Grand Prix is on the calendar until 1970 after which the Mexicans have to wait until 1986 for another race. Then it is Gerhard Berger who wins on behalf of Benetton. Between 1886 and 1992 however, it is Nigel Mansell and Alain Prost who shine in Mexico, with two victories.

After the last GP in 1992, one has to wait a long time again for a race in Mexico, but with Sergio Perez in Formula 1, the sport starts to boom again in Mexico. So in 2015 F1 returned and held five editions since then. Hamilton and Verstappen joined the ranks of Clark, Mansell and Prost by winning twice each.

Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez

While the first Mexican Grand Prix, the unofficial one, was still held at the Magdalena Mixhuca circuit, the same circuit was renamed the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in 1963. The racetrack of the Rodríguez brothers. Pedro and Ricardo Rodríguez were until then the best Mexican drivers. Ricardo was even the youngest Ferrari driver ever at 19 years and 208 days old. However, the Mexican was tragically killed in 1962 during the Mexican GP.

Ricardo had been driving for Ferrari until that time, but the Italian team did not want to participate in the unofficial event in Mexico. Pedro signed a contract for Rob Walker's Lotus 24 team but was killed in a crash at the Peraltada corner during the first practice session. The Mexican was then twenty years old.

His older brother Pedro remained active as a driver, but after 55 races in Formula 1 between 1963 and 1971, he too was killed in a car. He was racing for Ferrari during an Interseries Sports Car race at the Norisring, where, according to photographers, his right front tyre had become detached. On the twelfth lap, the tyre came off completely and Rodríguez flew into the wall and his car caught fire. He died shortly after the impact.

The track itself has hardly changed over the years. The Peraltada corner where Rodríguez died has been replaced by a stadium section with many slow corners, but otherwise, the track has remained intact with the long straight and a fast first sector. The second sector has some high-speed corners, where the handling of the car is essential.

Formula 1 in 2021

In 2021, Formula 1 will have changed dramatically compared to recent years. After years of dominance by Mercedes, Red Bull Racing has managed to close the gap. This makes the championship very exciting. Max Verstappen leads the championship by 12 points, while Mercedes has a 23 point lead over Red Bull in the constructors' standings.

Behind them things are also very tense, with a battle for third place between Ferrari and McLaren, but also the fifth place of the constructors is a hotly contested battle between Alpine and AlphaTauri. At the bottom of the standings, Williams looks to be clear of Alfa Romeo and Haas, but a race in extreme conditions could turn the tide in the championship.

Weather report

According to Weather.com we can expect stable weather conditions for the Mexican GP. It will be 22 to 23 degrees Celsius in Mexico City all weekend and the chance of rain will not exceed ten percent during the weekend. Also, not much wind is expected, but with all the clouds there is no real sunny weather either.

Prediction for the Grand Prix

Ahead of the Mexico Grand Prix, everything points in favour of Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen. Red Bull managed to get a good result here many times between 2015 and 2019, while not having a competitive car for the world championship in those years. That is the case this year, so who knows what is possible now.

The tracksuits the RB16B perfectly. A lot of grips is needed from the car for the tricky second and third sectors. This is where the RB16B excels, but so does Verstappen himself. He already won twice at the Autódromo and that is not for nothing. The circuit is also 2286 meters above sea level. The thin air at this altitude means Mercedes performs less and the Honda engine performs better.

Verstappen is the favourite, but Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton will be looking for their chances. Mercedes made a mistake in America which allowed Red Bull to strike, the same could happen the other way around. Besides that Hamilton is also very skilled on this circuit. He has won the race twice already, just like Verstappen.

Besides Red Bull and Mercedes, there is also Ferrari to consider. The Italian team already took pole in Monaco and Azerbaijan and could also be in contention for the trophy in Mexico. Grip is important here and with the new engine Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz could well be aiming for the podium or even a win.

Timetable Grand Prix of Mexico 2021

Friday

First free practice: 17:30-18:30

Second free practice: 21:00-22:00

Saturday

Third free practice: 17:00-18:00

Qualifying: 20:00-21:00

Sunday

Race: 19:00-21:00