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Tyres NorthamptonThe gruelling triple-header of flyaway races continues with the second stage around the 4.304 km Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. It's a high-altitude test for teams and drivers before they set off to Sao Paulo next week. Fortunately for the world's most expensive travelling circus, there's only one race this weekend after last Saturday's Sprint. The standard F1 format means we get the only FP2 and FP3 sessions in a four-race run that features three Sprint events, so the teams will have much longer to prepare for the race. We'll have to see if that means more time for McLaren and Mercedes to close the gap or more laps for Verstappen to extend his lead.
Mercedes undeniably took an encouraging leap forward in car development in the USA, albeit with a questionable race strategy that allowed Verstappen to leapfrog Hamilton. If they can maintain that development advance for Mexico City, they could have two cars challenging for the podium or possibly the win after George Russell's struggles at his 'bogey track' in Texas.
Equally, McLaren had one car fighting at the front after Oscar Piastri's early-race damage saw the Australian retire with cooling issues. He and teammate Lando Norris have helped the Woking team repeatedly take home trophies in recent races. Together with Mercedes, Verstappen must be looking over his shoulder at the progress of these nearest competitors.
With FP2 and FP3 back after a two-race break and the championship in its latter stages, several teams will also field rookie drivers in FP1. Regulations dictate each team must give a newcomer some in-season track time. Mercedes, Haas, AlphaTauri, and Alfa Romeo will let F2 stars Frederik Vesti, Ollie Bearman, Isack Hadjar, and Theo Pourchaire enjoy time in the cockpit.
Since returning to the F1 calendar in 2015, the Mexican GP, now called the Mexico City GP, hasn't had much tyre degradation for Pirelli to worry about. Verstappen completed 45 laps on the same medium rubber in 2022, much to Mercedes' frustration, but that might not be possible in 2023.
The three softest tyres in the Pirelli arsenal will appear in Mexico City, with the C3, C4, and C5 available for the 20 drivers. Whether that means we'll have two-stop strategies rather than the usual one-stopper remains to be seen. Regardless, it seems the Italian constructor hopes to allow some tactical nuance in Mexico City.
Verstappen is the name most likely to claim victory in 2023, but there are some indications it is becoming less of a certainty. His mistake in the USGP's qualifying session had fighting back from P6, and the Dutchman didn't close the gap on the leaders as quickly as he might've in earlier races.
Hamilton, Norris, Russell, or Piastri will hope to be in the upper positions, as will Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz for Ferrari. It's anyone's guess if they can match Verstappen, but the one driver who absolutely could, thanks to the same machinery, is the home hero, Sergio Perez. The Mexican is suffering a chastening season, far off the pace of Verstappen, and will seek to give the home crowd something to cheer after not reaching the podium since the Italian GP, five rounds earlier.
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It's more late evening entertainment for F1 fans, with another 8 PM Grand Prix following a 10 PM qualifying session on Saturday. Remember to change your clocks on Sunday, too, so you don't miss any action.
Qualifying – On air: 8:30 PM, Session start: 10 PM Saturday 28th October
Race – On air: 6:30 PM, Session start: 8 PM Sunday 29th October
Qualifying – Highlights: 8:30 AM Sunday 29th October
Race – Highlights: 1 AM Monday 30th October, repeating at 8:25 AM Monday 30th October
Qualifying/Race – It's set for a sunny, clear few days in Mexico City, with comfortable temperatures in the mid-20s and a low chance of rain throughout.