F1 Mexico City Grand Prix 2024 preview

The team and driver's championships are up for grabs.

By Bruce Brown Published October 23, 2024

A racing scene from the 2023 Mexico City Grand Prix. — F1

The 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix will occur this weekend, October 25 to 27, at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriquez. It will comprise 71 laps around the 2.67-mile track.

Here’s what’s at stake at the Mexico City GP

Max Verstappen standing on his race car after winning the 2023 Mexico City Grand Prix.
With only five races left in the F1 2024 schedule, the most competitive teams want to make every Grand Prix count in their competition for F1 World Driver and Constructor’s Championship points. Unlike the last two seasons, when Red Bull and Red Bull driver Max Verstappen were dominating the F1 calendar, this year, the Red Bull, McLaren, and Ferrari teams all see Championship possibilities, even though McLaren is currently 40 points ahead of Red Bull in the Constructors’ competition. Max Verstappen leads McClaren driver Lando Norris by 57 points for the Drivers’ Championship.

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Ferrari is also competitive this year. Ferrri driver Charles Leclerc has 275 Drivers’ Championship points, 22 points less than Lando Norris. Verstappen’s lead in points is challenging for Norris and Leclerc because even when he doesn’t win races, he’s usually second or third across the line. Norris or Leclerc can beat Verstappen, but not if he continues to score a place on the winners’ podium with each race.

Ferrari does have a better shot at the Constructors’ Championship, where the teams count the points from both drivers on the team. Ferrari is only eight points behind Red Bull, which is still in striking distance of the top spot if Ferrari’s Leclerc and Sainz repeat their one-two winning positions in additional Grand Prix as they did in the United States. Grand Prix.

What about the other teams?

Mercedes continues to have car problems, which wipes out its chance for either Championship.

Further down the roster in the middle of the team standings, Williams, RB, Hass, and Aston Martin are all vying for higher standings than last year at the end of the season. Recent upgrades have helped Haas, in particular. None of those teams is in contention for the top position, but even a one-place advance in the overall team standings means a lot in this elite motorsport, both in team pride and in the amount of money paid by the FIA at the end of the season.

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A Digital Trends Contributing Editor and Contributor for TheManual.com, Bruce Brown writes e-mobility reviews and covers…

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F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix: Last practice and qualifying results

All eyes are on Verstappen and Norris

Las Vegas Grand Prix race circuit at night.

There were few surprises during the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix's Free Practice 3 session on Friday, November 22. However, the Qualifying event later in the evening ended with a red flag after Williams Racing F1 Team driver Franco Colapinto crashed into a concrete wall.

Colapinto hit the wall with a 50G force, requiring a mandatory medical checkup. Today, Williams announced that Colapinto was "declared fit to race" in the Grand Prix.
Free Practice 3 results
At first glance, the fastest lap times of the top ten drivers during Free Practice 3 aren't surprising because Mercedes and McLaren drivers also did well in FP1 and FP2. Reigning World Champion Red Bull driver Max Verstappen had the fifth-fastest lap. One surprise is Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc was not in the top ten, because the Ferraris are fast on the Las Vegas circuit.

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F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix: Four teams dress up with special race care livery

Alpine, Kick Sauber, Visa Cash App RB, and Williams dress up for Vegas

Visa Cash App RB F1 Team 2024 Las Vegas livery.

Alpine, Kick Sauber, Visa Cash App RB, and Williams Racing all adopted special looks for the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024. There's no single reason why Formula 1 racing teams adopt special paint jobs and graphics for individual races. Sometimes, it's to promote a sponsored event, such as a Marvel film debut. Earlier this year, Haas and Alpine had unique livery for the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.

Whatever the reasons for the one-time race car appearance changes, if there's any place to dress up, it's gotta be Vegas. We'll have to wait for the next race in Qatar to see whether, with livery as with other things, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.
BWT Alpine

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F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix Thursday practice sessions: Dusty, chilly, and windy

Las Vegas Grand Prix race circuit is transformed back to public use during the daytime.

Mercedes, McLaren, and Ferrari drivers had the best lap times during the two 2024 Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix practice sessions on Thursday, November 21. All ten teams had to deal with chilly temperatures and slippery track surfaces. Several drivers commented on cold, windy conditions and slick tracks to their engineers via radio and in post-practice public statements.

The Las Vegas Grand Prix is a street circuit race, which poses challenges F1 teams don't face with dedicated closed race tracks. The Las Vegas circuit transforms twice each 24 hours from Thursday to Saturday because it's open to public traffic during the daytime but then converts to a closed race track in the evening.