The Mexican fans always create a special atmosphere whenever Formula 1 is in town and are sure to do so again after a year without the race taking place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Mexico City track has a special layout in terms of grandstands, with the run to Turn 1, and then the Turn 4-6 complex flanked by grandstands that almost make it feel like a stadium overlooking multiple corners.
Two weeks ago, the race in Austin produced a bit of a surprise as Red Bull and Max Verstappen were able to take pole position in the United States Grand Prix and despite losing the lead at the start, the Dutchman went on to win the race at a circuit that has traditionally been a Mercedes stronghold, with Lewis Hamilton victorious on five of his previous eight rounds in the USA. Mercedes were confident the United States would be a good opportunity for them to regain the lead in the 2021 Formula 1 Driver Standings, so for the Mercedes driver to head to Mexico even further adrift than before the Austin race was definitely not part of the plan.
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If we’re going to look at past performances for Red Bull when analyzing who has the best chances at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, then we should also pay attention to what Scuderia Ferrari have been able to do in Mexico during the last few years. Two seasons ago, Charles Leclerc took pole position (also thanks to a grid penalty received by Max Verstappen), as both Maranello drivers were looking strong for a one-two finish. In the end, Sebastian Vettel was 1.7s behind race-winner Hamilton, with Charles Leclerc six seconds from the winner in fourth, but it showed strong race performance for the Italian side, just seven days after the Monegasque driver had finished as their lead car in Austin. On that occasion, he was fourth again, 52.239s behind the race-winner.
But how about this season? Charles Leclerc was fourth in Austin, 52.246s behind the race-winner.
Of course that does not necessarily mean that the Maranello team will be able to show a strong pace in Mexico just like last time, but there are other signs that are encouraging. Ferrari’s recent power unit upgrade has proven to be a big success, and one area it helps is in allowing the Italian side to run high downforce without suffering in terms of top speed on the straights. That is exactly what you need in Mexico City at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, where the altitude means you get less performance from the downforce that is on the car, so ideally you need as much as possible.
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