MADRID, 4 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez will be the scene this weekend of a new ‘battle’ between the Dutch driver Max Verstappen (Red Bull) and the English driver Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) for the Formula 1 World Championship title, a statistically elusive scenario for the interests of Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) and Fernando Alonso (Renault).
The Mexican Grand Prix, the eighteenth event on the calendar and the second of the three that America will host, awaits another duel between the top two finishers in the championship, separated by only twelve points and on a circuit that is not excessively unfavorable to the leader’s car .
The strategy gave Verstappen a more than valuable victory at the United States Grand Prix ahead of a Hamilton who finds himself in an unusual situation in his current era of ‘big circus’ dominance. Accustomed to firmly dominating the championship and without leaving too many loopholes for his rivals, the seven-time world champion is twelve points away from his eighth crown with five races still to be contested and which are exciting.
The Stevenage driver has in his favor the experience that his titles give him against Haselt, less used to this situation, although the Englishman has already made it clear that the Red Bull driver has been in F1 long enough to handle that pressure of have to go ahead.
However, the difference between the two does not leave an excessive margin of error for either of them in this Mexican event where both are the favorites for both Saturday’s pole position and Sunday’s race. No one on the grid, except them, knows what it’s like to win at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, a circuit where Mercedes, more affected by the altitude, loses the power advantage over Red Bull.
In fact, since his return to the calendar in 2015, Hamilton won in 2016 and 2019, while Verstappen did so consecutively in 2018 and 2019, but also finished the last three times ahead in a qualifying that can be as key as paper that the two respective companions of the two applicants can play.
In this sense, Verstappen hopes to have the best version of Sergio Pérez, third in the last two appointments. The ‘Czech’ runs before his fans and will surely be motivated to achieve a great result, while the Finn Valtteri Bottas continues with some irregularity.
The McLaren and Ferraris, whose battle is focused almost more on third place in the Constructors’ World Cup, where they are separated by just 3.5 points in favor of Woking, will also want to interfere in this final fight for the title.
In this sense, the altitude can also be a help for the cars of the Monegasque Charles Leclerc and the Spaniard Carlos Sainz, sixth and seventh classified in the World Championship. The Madrid-born, seventh in the United States penalized for another bad pit stop by his team, is 5.5 points behind his teammate and hopes to extend his streak of ten consecutive Grands Prix by scoring at a circuit where, however, he has never done so. made with two thirteenth places as the best results in five visits.
For his part, Fernando Alonso will try to establish himself in the ‘Top 10’ of the classification and regain points after two races without excessive luck in Turkey (sixteenth) and the United States (abandonment) supported by the new power unit that changed in Austin . Tenth place in 2017 with McLaren is his best result at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
– SCHEDULE OF THE GRAND PRIZE OF MEXICO.
-Friday.
First practice session 18.30 – 19.30.
Second practice session 22.00 – 23.00.
-Saturday.
Third practice session 18.00 – 19.00.
Qualification 21.00 – 22.00.
-Sunday.
Carrera 20.00.