Formula 1 Mexico Grand Prix Prediction: Ferrari is getting better and better

The autumn American Formula 1 tour continues with a race in the capital of Mexico, on a track named after the legendary Mexican drivers, brothers Pedro and Ricardo Rodriguez. It will be the 19th out of a total of 24 races in this eventful season, and we can expect the continuation of interesting battles for the top of the standings. The Formula 1 race in Mexico as we know it today began to be held in 2015, but the tradition of holding the competition in the Central American country is much longer. The Formula 1 World Championship first came to Mexico way back in 1963. The track was then called Magdalena Mixhuca, although it is the same location where we still watch Formula 1 cars today.

Max Verstappen is the most successful driver in Mexico, winning as many as five times. Of the last six editions of this race, he was defeated only once, in 2019 by Lewis Hamilton. On the other hand, something that seemed unimaginable recently has been happening in recent months. The Dutchman has not won nine GP races, not counting the sprint races. If he eventually manages to achieve another triumph in his happy Mexican ground, he will finally put an end to that fast. Red Bull is the most successful constructor, thanks to the aforementioned victories with Verstappen behind the wheel. Lotus, McLaren, Williams, and Mercedes have three victories each, and Ferrari only two. McLaren last celebrated in Mexico in 1989 with Ayrton Senna, and Ferrari a year later with Alain Prost. Considering the current form of those teams, one of those two long posts could end.

Charles Leclerc said qualifying for the Mexican Grand Prix showed his weaknesses on low-grip tracks after falling more than three-tenths of a second behind pole-sitter and team-mate Carlos Sainz, but he knows he has the fastest race pace. Leclerc stressed that at tracks like Mexico, the lower risk in qualifying could reduce the amount of slippage, although he reckons it won't be a problem in Sunday's race. He added that it might have been beneficial if he had not missed the 1st training session to further adjust his performance, although he admits that he would not have had the same perspective if the weekend had been more favorable.

There was no lack of excitement in the qualifications for the best starting position. The most successful in this was Carlos Sainz in Ferrari with a fantastic lap. Two-tenths slower than him in second place was Max Verstappen in Red Bull, and the two will share the first starting row! From the second starting row, Lando Norris in McLaren will start the race in third place, and Charles Leclerc, another Ferrari driver, in fourth place. The third row was occupied by Mercedes drivers - fifth place was taken by George Russell and sixth by Lewis Hamilton. An excellent seventh for Haas was Kevin Magnussen. Pierre Gasly in Alpine will start the race from the eighth position, and Williams' Alexander Albon in ninth, and Haas' Nico Hulkenberg in tenth will start Sunday's race from the fifth row.

The team from Maranello comes to the Grand Prix of Mexico City in the best mood. After last week's double victory in Austin, the red camp was filled with optimism, and more importantly, it came with the opportunity to fight for the constructors' title in the remaining five races of the season. McLaren is still the first favorite as it has 40 points more than Red Bull and 48 points more than Ferrari, but at the weekend in Texas, Ferrari outscored McLaren by 27 points and the Bulls by 26 points. This tells us that everything is still possible until the end of the championship, especially since there are still 250 points at stake.

OUR PREDICTION: Team driver to win - Ferrari