Mexican F1 Grand Prix 2016: Early Race Predictions, Track Breakdown, Schedule
Lewis Hamilton’s victory in the Formula One United States Grand Prix has kept alive his dream of winning a fourth world title, but he needs to finish first in this weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix to close the 26-point gap between himself and team-mate Nico Rosberg.
Victory on all three tracks still might not be enough for the English driver to steal the title away from Rosberg, who won this event last year and only needs to place second in each of the remaining races to win his first-ever drivers' championship.
Weather conditions are looking positive, with cloudy spells and highs of 22 degrees Celsius, according to AccuWeather. However, a 40 per cent chance of thunderstorms could throw a spanner in the works. A crash for Rosberg on Sunday would almost certainly hand Hamilton the title.
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Here is the schedule for the rest of the F1 season:
| First Practice Session: Oct. 28 | |
| Second Practice Session: Oct. 28 | |
| Third Practice Session: Oct.29 | |
| Qualifying Session: Oct. 29 | |
| Race: Oct. 30 | |
| First Practice Session: Nov. 11 | |
| Second Practice Session: Nov. 11 | |
| Third Practice Session: Nov. 12 | |
| Qualifying Session: Nov. 12 | |
| Race: Nov. 13 | |
| First Practice Session: Nov. 11 | |
| Second Practice Session: Nov. 25 | |
| Third Practice Session: Nov. 25 | |
| Qualifying Session: Nov. 26 | |
| Race: Nov. 27 |
Predictions
Momentum appears to be with Hamilton after his superb victory in Texas despite Rosberg’s superior record on this track. There is no doubt that these two drivers will be neck-and-neck throughout the race on Sunday, and it is very difficult to look beyond the Mercedes drivers for the top two spots.
The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is a very quick track with minimal elevation, which favours the superior speed of the Mercedes engines. Barring a heavy crash, the Mexican Grand Prix is looking fairly predictable.
That does not mean it won’t be exciting. Hamilton trailed Rosberg here in 2015 and fought with his crew over the radio in an attempt to change strategy and beat his team-mate, but the team orders were eventually obeyed. A furious Hamilton will want revenge this season.
He is unlikely to get it unless he makes a very fast start, given that the run to the first corner is 800 metres. As such, the drivers' championship could effectively be decided within the first minute of Sunday’s race should Hamilton get off to a poor start.
Rosberg knows he will seal the championship if he wins the race and Hamilton finishes 10th or lower, but is keen not to get carried away.
“Of course I'm aware of that,” he said, as per Laurence Edmondson for ESPN F1. “It's an obvious calculation that everyone is telling me, and it's great because I'm excited to be in a championship battle at the end of the year.
“I will concentrate on the race win and what's at hand at the weekend. So I go to Mexico fully focused on the win and that's it. Very simple.” Like most of us, the BBC seems somewhat more excited than Rosberg appears to be:
Elsewhere, Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel remain locked in a close battle for fourth and both are unknown quantities for this one. Neither driver managed to finish the 2015 Mexican GP.
Track Breakdown
The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez drew 336,000 fans over the weekend last year, and the circuit is targeting 350,000 this time around, as per Nate Saunders for ESPN F1.
The circuit is 4.304 kilometres with an 800-metre distance to Turn 1, which is the longest in the season and should make for a spectacular start. Altitude is also an issue. Situated at 2,200 metres, there is only 78 per cent of the oxygen available at sea level, meaning the internal combustion element of the power unit produces less power and the brakes are more difficult to cool.
It is also worth watching out for the end-of-straight speeds. The 1.2-kilometre pit straight is the longest in F1 and Vettel’s 227 mph top speed last year was quicker than anyone had expected.
Rosberg and Hamilton should comfortably take one and two on Sunday, but the order in which they finish will most likely depend on which driver gets off to the fastest start.
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