F1 Mexico City Grand Prix 2024 preview

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

By Bruce Brown October 23, 2024 9:52AM

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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