Formula 1 returns to the high-altitude track of Mexico City for Round 20 of the 2025 campaign. Off the back of a dominant performance in Austin, Max Verstappen arrives seeking to continue his charge for the title.
Oscar Piastri remains on the back foot after a difficult few rounds, the Australian failing to stand on the top step of the podium since Zandvoort in late August.
Teammate Lando Norris will also look to return to the top step of the podium after missing out in Austin following a poor start which saw him drop behind the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc.
What to expect
The Red Bull pair arrive as undoubtedly the favourites having won three of the last five Mexico City Grand Prix. Verstappen alone has accumulated all of Red Bull’s wins in Mexico, the track being a happy hunting ground of the Dutchman.
While his teammate Tsunoda’s form has been disappointing of late, Dr Helmut Marko spoke of the importance of the Mexico City Grand Prix for the Japanese driver claiming that, a descions will be made on the Japanese driver’s future after this weekend’s race. With Hadjar waiting in the wings and just 28 points to his name, Tsunoda will look to impress on what is a pivotal weekend for his career.
The McLaren pair have endured a turbulent few races: contact in the Singapore Grand Prix followed by a collision in the Austin Sprint means the pair have failed to win a race since the Dutch Grand Prix in August.
Oscar Piastri alone has not stood on the podium since Monza and has witnessed his championship lead be slashed from 34 to 14 points. The Australian driver will undoubtably be feeling the pressure as he looks to return to find his usual commanding pace.
Teammate Lando Norris will also acknowledge the importance of this weekend. The British driver now having to look behind in the championship battle with Verstappen in hot pursuit.
Elsewhere on the grid, the battle between Mercedes and Ferrari intensifies. Ferrari showed promise in Austin as Charles Leclerc claimed third after a dramatic battle with Norris. 7 points separate them and with Antonelli struggling for pace, Ferrari will fancy their chances of leapfrogging the Silver Arrows.
Keep an eye on the nine rookies taking part in FP1 this weekend with drivers such as Arvid Lindblad and Jak Crawford set to take to the track.
The track
The 4.304km circuit has remained largely unchanged since its debut in 1962. The main difference has been the change made to the iconic Peraltada corner which now twists through the baseball stadium where many of the fans are.
The 1.2km main straight proves the best chance for overtaking. With minimal downforce drivers reach speeds of up to 350km/h into the heavy braking turn 1.
However, turn 1 may not prove the optimum corner for overtaking and many drivers like to wait for the following straight into turn 4.
These 2 DRS zones provide some of the best wheel-to-wheel combat seen at F1 tracks on the calendar as seen last year with the battle between Norris and Verstappen ending in the Red Bull driver’s 20 second penalty.
Weather forecast
It looks set to be a dry weekend in Mexico with temperatures soaring at 27 degrees. Wind also will not be an issue with low gusts meaning cars won’t feel the impact of sudden gusts.
Friday will see the cooler temperatures arrive with a high of 26 degrees ahead of the two FP1 sessions. FP1 sees a low chance of rain while FP2 will see a 30% chance of rain hitting the track.
Similar conditions will bee seen on Saturday with temperatures peaking at 24 degrees. A small rain shower may hit close to qualifying but the chance of rain remains lower than Friday at 20%.
Sunday though features hot, sunny conditions as seen last year. Temperatures of 27 degrees will mean tyre degradation will be key to focus on while the risk of rain hovers at 20%. At lights out, temperatures can be expected to start at 26 degrees.
Last time out
The 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix saw Carlos Sainz claim what would be his last win for Ferrari in 2024 as title contenders Verstappen and Norris came together in a controversial collision which would see the Dutchman slapped with two 10 second penalty’s.
Verstappen jumped Sainz at the start as Tsunoda was sent spearing off into the barriers after contact with Albon down the main straight.
A quick safety car period and Sainz quickly got ahead of Verstappen into turn 1. But the Dutchman was under more pressure from Norris. As Norris attempted a move into turn 4 the pair made contact and then made further contact into the fast turn 7.
The Dutchman was reprimanded with two ten second penalties that would drop the Red Bull driver down to sixth.
Sainz though remained dominant, finishing nearly 5 seconds clear of Norris in second and Leclerc in third.
| Track Length | 4.304 km |
| Number of Laps | 71 |
| Race Lap Record | 1.17:774 (Valtteri Bottas – 2021) |
| Qualifying Lap Record | 1.14:758 (Max Verstappen – 2019) |
| First Grand Prix | 1963 |
| First Race Winner | Jim Clark |
| 2023 Race Winner | Max Verstappen |
Featured Image courtesy of Red Bull Content Pool