Mexico City GP Preview 2024
Published:
October 24, 2024

A different challenge awaits in Mexico, where two long straights dominate the lap, but the race for the title will remain. Lando Norris lost out in Austin after overtaking Verstappen outside of track limits. The Brit will hope for a more straightforward race on Sunday at a track where his Dutch rival boasts five victories.

What to Watch Out for in the 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix

Ferrari stormed to a slightly surprising one-two finish in the US Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc looked peerless after overtaking three cars in the first corner to take the lead on Sunday. Carlos Sainz was the star of the show one day earlier, too, after an overtaking masterclass in the Sprint. Can the Italian outfit keep this pace up for the remaining rounds?

Norris will hope the Scuderia are faster than before the autumn break, but not faster than his McLaren MCL38. He needs other drivers to beat Verstappen to maximise the reigning champion's points losses but equally must add to his three-race win tally if he wants to take the crown. However, Ferrari might fancy a successive weekend of success with some similarities between the Mexico City and Austin circuits.

Friday will see different faces in the cars as five teams will use FP1 to fulfil their rookie driver obligations. 2025 Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli will replace Lewis Hamilton for his second run on the F1 billing. The Italian teenager crashed at Monza in the opening minutes of FP1, so he'll look for a better outing in Mexico. Felipe Drugovich, Ollie Bearman, Robert Shwartzman, and Pato O'Ward will also feature.

Mexico City GP Preview 2024

2024 Mexico City Grand Prix Pirelli Tyre Choices

The three fastest compounds will be available for the drivers to run in Mexico City. The C3, C4, and C5 are the options Pirelli brought, opening further strategic opportunities than usual; it's one step softer than we usually see in Mexico.

There are even more tyres in use over the weekend, too. Pirelli will use FP2 as a test session for the 2025 tyre compounds, and running will extend to 90 minutes to allow for the in-season test. Each driver and team must follow Pirelli's run plan to allow the tyre manufacturer to best analyse the gathered data.

Who Could Win the 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix?

Ironically, it looks like any of the drivers for the 'big four' teams could win the race aside from the home hero Sergio Perez. The Mexican is the only racer of the eight at the top teams without a 2024 victory, and his US Grand Prix performance suggests he's not about to change that in Mexico City. Even George Russell beat Perez last weekend after starting from the pit lane while Perez began the race in P9.

Leclerc will look to capitalise on his performance north of the border, but Ferrari's successes have been sporadic over 2024. If he or Sainz can qualify in the upper positions, anything is possible. The race pace by both drivers looked superior to anything from their peers last weekend, giving hope to any Tifosi.

However, Norris remains the driver to beat in Qualifying, and he now has four pole positions from the past five rounds. He finally addressed his poor opening laps in Singapore but had a shocking first corner in America to drop to P4. If Norris can take another P1 start on Saturday and keep his cool down the long run to the first braking zone, he has every chance to close the points gap Verstappen.

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Mexico City GP Preview 2024

2024 Mexico City Grand Prix U.K. Start Time

Get ready for a late evening if you're watching from the U.K. The race will have lights out at 8 PM on Sunday, with Qualifying starting at 10 PM on Saturday.

2024 F1 Mexico City Grand Prix Sky Sports Live Coverage

Qualifying – On air: 9 PM, Session start: 10 PM Saturday 26th October

Race – On air: 6:30 PM, Session start: 8 PM Sunday 27th October

2024 F1 Mexico City Grand Prix Channel 4 Coverage

Qualifying – Highlights: 8:30 AM Sunday 27th October

Race – Highlights: 12:30 AM Monday 28th October, repeated at 9:35 AM

2024 F1 Mexico City Grand Prix Weather Forecast

Qualifying/Race – The weekend will be mostly sunny, with Saturday having highs of 23°C and a low chance of a shower during Qualifying. Expect slightly cooler temperatures for Sunday and a 20% chance of rain as cloud cover increases throughout the day.

Mexico City GP Preview 2024Mexico City GP Preview 2024