Ferrari expects to gain on McLaren: "Power is less important here"

Not only at the head of the field, but also behind it, an intense battle rages for a place in the Formula 1 standings. Ferrari are battling it out with McLaren for third place in the championship, and the Italian outfit see the Mexican Grand Prix as a good chance to catch up with their Woking rivals.

With five races to go the team from Maranello is just 3.5 points behind McLaren in the battle for third place behind Mercedes and Red Bull Racing. A recent engine update has made the team even more competitive, so the Italians are looking forward to the upcoming race weekend.

Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto believes the unique nature of the circuit in Mexico City could play into his team's hands. "In Mexico we drive with maximum downforce, and it is a circuit where power is less important," the Italian said in a press release.

"Although there is still a gap to Mercedes [in terms of power], I think the Mexico circuit will be in our favour compared to what we saw in Austin," he continued. Binotto believes that the form that Ferrari showed in Austin is important, as he believes it is a venue that McLaren should have decided in its favour.

"In general this year the McLaren has always been very competitive in the medium and high speed corners, as was the case in Austin, but looking at the performance over the whole weekend I think we were ahead of them," the Ferrari team boss concludes.