Grand Prix 2018 Mexico Grand Prix Practice, Qualifying & Race Discussion

The Mexican grand prix is our next race and you lucky people have got me writing this one up. Good luck to all who carry on reading, you might need it ;)

F1 has long had a stop and start love affair with Mexico City but the Autrodromo Hermanos Circuit once again hosts this race. For those who don't already know, Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez was in part named after two brothers who tragically lost their lives there. Ricardo died shortly after the circuit opened in 1962 and sadly his brother Pedro also died whilst racing some nine years later in 1971 but in Germany. It is located in Magdalena Mixhuca Sports City which is in the south east of Mexico City and is a public park that has been used for other events such as a baseball, the park is also home to the Insomniacs Electric Festival or EDC Mexico, a popular music festival that attracts over 200,000 people.

The thin air in Mexico City can cause problems for both drivers and cars, the speed at which the cars can get up to on the main straight is 370 km/h or 230 mph in old money. It first appeared on the calendar in 1962 as a non championship race before becoming a championship race in 1963. It remained on the calendar until 1970, had a brief reinstatement from 1986 to 1992 before finally returning again in 2015 and has since run to date. During one of the breaks it was used for the Grand Prix Of Mexico Champ Car. Sebastien Bourdais the former Toro Rosso driver apparently won three of the six races held there from 2002 - 2007.

After some speculation in the years beforehand, this race returned to the calendar in 2015. It was probably helped by having two Mexican drivers at that time with Sergio 'Checo' Perez and Esteban Gutierrez. Whilst Gutierrez is now a mere memory Perez is still there plugging away at Racing Point Force India and will no doubt be the busiest man on the grid this race weekend. Perez has never done that well at his home race, he's certainly not made an appearance on the podium so far. Can he do better this year? Somehow I doubt it unless something extraordinary happens ahead of him. Checo has of course been confirmed at Racing Point Force India in 2019 most likely with Lance Stroll as his team mate. His current team mate Esteban Ocon could be doing a straight swap with Stroll by taking his former seat at Williams.

Since 2015 we've had three different winners here, Rosberg in 2015, Hamilton in 2016 and Verstappen in 2017, so will it be a fourth different driver on the top step in 2018? In 2017 your pole sitter was Vettel and the podium was as follows: 1st Verstappen, 2nd Bottas, 3rd Raikkonen.

With only this race and two more this year it’s so far been a season for Mercedes to savour and for Ferrari to wonder where it all went so wrong. A really good race in USA and a rare win by Kimi with Seb 4th and the title goes on to Mexico. Vettel has made some big mistakes, mostly borne out of his desperation to win for Ferrari it seems, whether the pressure on him is coming from himself or the team it’s hard to say, either way it’s not done his racing any good. He did well in Austin though, that pass at the end on Bottas was crucial in some ways. Vettel and Verstappen both have new team mates coming in 2019, I am wondering what, if any, effect that will have on them. I’d like to think it would be positive but who knows?

So it's hello or Hola! to Mexico, slap on your sombrero, let your feet get tapping to the rhythmn of the mariachi bands and let’s hope we all enjoy another good race.
 
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Mexico is one of those outlier tracks in that if you had a car that was perfect for Mexico, it would be less than ideal everywhere else. How did all the front running teams have so many tire problems? Maybe they need a high downforce aero package for Monaco and a super high downforce package for Mexico?
 
Only Mercedes were really struggling, Verstappen covered Vettel and Vettel Hamilton.
The Mercedes was brutal to its tyres again.
Both Ricciardo and Raikkonen only did 1 stop.
 
Someone should tell Ricciardo that you don’t win races on a Saturday. He faltered under pressure. Am I right il_leone?
 
No use in getting pole, if you can't get off the line. He really showed him how to do a Webber.

To be fair, given Danny's engine was going to self destruct, he went for it and won the only competition he could and nailed Max for pole.
 
Clay Ricciardo must be wondering why all the bad luck is with him at the moment since announcing he is leaving Red Bull and even offered to let Gasly drive it :whistle:
 
it wasnt as good as last sunday but we have had far worse, I was saying on the poll It reminded me of what 1980s race would be like. There was some jeopardy because we didnt know if cars or tyres would make it & no driver in top 6 at any point were guaranteed a podium when you think podium consisted of 1st 4th & 6th third of way in. surprised me I thought Riccardio Verstappen Hamilton & Vettel all going into Turn 1. could have been tears but 4 a brest never happened because Riccardio had a terrible start & vettel got blocked in. although I am absolutely gutted for Riccardo, because I doubt if any sportsman has any worse luck currently 8 dnf this season, 11th dnf in 23 races & since British gp he has only had 1 race where he hasn't had a car issue or a grid drop

Get in Hamilton 5x world champion so weird to think he has now matched the great Juan Manuel Fangio, surely its now indisputable thats he should be considered up there as 1 of great sportsmen Britain has produced. although its only fair when we talked about Ferrari performance dip that we discuss Mercedes & how Ironically Lewis secured the title in his poorest performance all season. they came had 2 1-2s. then in US Ferrari had quicker car all weekend & then mexico comfortably 3rd best team, I strugging to remember the last time a Mercedes espically in the hybrid era was so off the pace & in bottas case even lapped, its unheard of, Off top of my head thinking maybe Spain 2013. when lewis got pole but finished 13th??

finally fair play to vettel, the title rivals both shown great respect off the track yesterday & how he congratulated the whole team. because to be a good winner you have to be a good loser. ive said before on race day at monza Ferrari were favourites to win this title. I was very worried. but forcing the issue at monza cost him the title
 
Nice to see Seb avoiding a first lap spin out for once and to see him passing Hamilton, though of course Hamilton knew he was going to be champion even if Seb got by so probably wasn't fighting as hard as he might have.
Good win by Max, felt bad for Ricciardo when his car failed AGAIN! Alonso must be wishing it was the end of the season as well the way it's going for him too.
 
Someone should tell Ricciardo that you don’t win races on a Saturday. He faltered under pressure. Am I right il_leone?

he had issues with his car, I think that it's a bit harsh to criticise him for yesterday's race, ok the start wasn't great but it's not like 30 years ago when it was all down to the driver, nowadays it's mostly down to the car so maybe he had some issue because he was very slow off the line. Other than that I think that he drove well, he didn't overdo it when he had to scrub his tyres, pity that once again the car let him down.
 
he had issues with his car, I think that it's a bit harsh to criticise him for yesterday's race, ok the start wasn't great but it's not like 30 years ago when it was all down to the driver, nowadays it's mostly down to the car so maybe he had some issue because he was very slow off the line. Other than that I think that he drove well, he didn't overdo it when he had to scrub his tyres, pity that once again the car let him down.

Similarity with 2014 situation is remarkable (in some aspects). Ricciardo got a dose off when Vettel's car was a wreck, and DR was a prince of the moment. Difference however is, that Seb didn't run like lunatic around, making emotional statements after fact. I also have suspicion that DR is simply running away from his situation at RBR, whereas Vettel left for a job he always wanted, and which might prove yet to be his biggest disappointment.

Looking back on the season, Vettel can speculate and waste time in that endeavor what he would do differently, given a chance, but on the other hand I do suspect that, as Ecclestone suggested, something else went wrong with Ferrari management after Marcionne passing, otherwise Binotto would not be telling (allegedly) to Elkann "it's me, or him" (Arrivabene), but not both of us. Turbulent times at Maranello.
 
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The top 6 had lapped the entire field just after half distance.

yeah that was painful & funny with title ramifications. lewis had that won like we all expected as long as he just finished because my mum was worried towards end. I said no need lewis has lapped 7th place driver.
 
I heard somewhere that Mercedes cured their tyre temp issues with some clever ducting integrated into the design of the rear wheels to allow the tyres to reach their optimum temperature in the best manner, but were forced to revert to the previous design as it was ruled as a movable aerodynamic device. Sigh.
 
I heard somewhere that Mercedes cured their tyre temp issues with some clever ducting integrated into the design of the rear wheels to allow the tyres to reach their optimum temperature in the best manner, but were forced to revert to the previous design as it was ruled as a movable aerodynamic device. Sigh.
Actually they were allowed to use their new wheel design this last race....and the Ferraris clearly had the advantage.
 
Will Ricciardo show up in Brazil and Abu Dhabi to race for Red Bull ? I suspect he will but he says there is little point to him doing so, I guess you can see his point given everything that has gone wrong for him. Odd how all this bad luck started after he announced he was leaving the team though isn't it? As was mentioned by Izumi now he knows how Seb felt in 2014.

If Ricciardo did sit the last two races out and they did put Gasly in the Red Bull, I assume Kvyat would race in the Toro Rosso? Would Red Bull even allow him to do that given his contract? On the other hand, what's the point of putting a driver in a car if they don't want to be there anymore?
 
Izumi I'm not sure that RBR was so keen on keeping Vettel in 2014, it looked to me as if Vettel had become too big (and too expensive) for them. But yes the situation is strangely similar
Agree. It was clear that rooftops cry - we want to see another winner - that had some undocumented impact, and made RBR management uncomfortable. I had that feeling from early stages when Sebastian's car was more in repair shop than on the track.

Offer from Ferrari was god-sense for Vettel, altho after this season this sounds rather ironic. Vettel can look at this year as another character building year (not that he was so badly need of it).
 
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