Last year’s Mexican Grand Prix sparked a furious row over track limits – just as last weekend’s United States Grand Prix did.
Will it be more of the same this weekend? And is the title finally going to be settled? Here are this weekend’s talking points.
Track limits
Max Verstappen’s penalty for passing Kimi Raikkonen with all four wheels off-track on the last lap in Austin is likely to continue to provoke debate in the build-up to the race weekend. (Though at the time of writing two-thirds of you have indicated you consider his penalty “fair”).
And track limits may be a talking point once the action begins, as they were last year. Last year it was also Verstappen who picked up a penalty after going off at turn one, while the Mercedes pair escaped punishment for going off at the same part of the track.
Race director Charlie Whiting later explained the reasons for the distinction. Yet despite the stewards adopting a more lenient stance on track limits this year the sport has found itself in the midst of another row over what does and doesn’t deserve a penalty.
There are encouraging signs that lessons have been learned. A new series of two-metre long, 50mm-high speed bumps have been installed in and around turns two and three at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in order to discourage corner-cutting. As always, they best solution to the track limits row is to make it impossible for drivers to gain an advantage by leaving the circuit in the first place.
- New video compares Hamilton, Rosberg and Verstappen’s corner-cutting
- Why gravel traps aren’t the easy answer to corner-cutting
- Poll: Were the stewards right to penalise Verstappen?
Championship end game?
Last weekend there was a slim chance Hamilton could win the championship. This weekend there’s a slim chance Hamilton won’t win the championship.
Unless Vettel finishes in the top two and Hamilton has a bad day, the British driver is set to become the first person to win the title in Mexico since Graham Hill almost 50 years ago.
Will he go out on a high or bag some safe points to get the job done? It might not be a straightforward weekend for Hamilton as despite its long straights the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is a high-downforce circuit. Its corners are mostly the kind of slow turns the W08 hasn’t excelled at.
But with Hamilton needing a minimum of fifth to become champion whatever Vettel does, only a car failure or accident is likely to stop him becoming champion again on Sunday.
Sainz vs Hulkenberg
Carlos Sainz Jnr’s first race at Renault went very well. On the opposite side of the garage, nothing went right for Nico Hulkenberg.
This pair has the potential to be every bit as exciting a partnership as Perez and Ocon. Hopefully this weekend we’ll get to see how they stack up against each other. The qualifying battle, where Hulkenberg has been extremely strong all season long, will be a particularly fascinating watch.
Home hero under pressure
There’s just one home driver on the grid this year and he’s in the midst of a very tasty battle with his team mate. Sergio Perez has been quick to accuse Esteban Ocon of holding him up in the last two races, and will be anxious not to follow the other Force India home for the third race in a row.
Particularly as Ocon is edging ever-closer to him in the drivers’ championship. Finishing ahead of a driver of Perez’s stature would be a huge coup for Ocon in his first full season.
A race worthy of the fans?
It’s only been back on the calendar for two years yet the Mexican Grand Prix has already earned a well-deserved reputation for a well-attended and lively event.
Unfortunately the action on the track hasn’t yet lived up to that billing. Both the previous races received lukewarm reviews from F1 Fanatic readers.
Will that change this weekend? If this does prove a stronger venue for Ferrari then we may finally get a decent fight on our hands.
Are you going to the Mexican Grand Prix?
If you’re heading to Mexico for this weekend’s race, we want to hear from you.
Who do you think will be the team to beat in the Mexican Grand Prix? Have your say below.
And don’t forget to enter your predictions for this weekend’s race. You can edit your predictions until the start of qualifying:
2017 Mexican Grand Prix
- 2017 Mexican Grand Prix team radio transcript
- 2017 Mexican Grand Prix Predictions Championship results
- 2017 Mexican Grand Prix weekend Star Performers
- ‘Race director, look at the race please’: Mexican GP team radio highlights
- Rosberg has third-shortest reign as champion after Hamilton win
F1 performance (@patent)
26th October 2017, 16:53
“There are encouraging signs that lessons have been learned. A new series of two-metre long, 50mm-high speed bumps have been installed in and around turns two and three at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in order to discourage corner-cutting. As always, they best solution to the track limits row is to make it impossible for drivers to gain an advantage by leaving the circuit in the first place.”
Agree
A “good track limit” is safe but slower than the track itself.
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
26th October 2017, 17:00
@patent There’s also new rules to go with the changes to the run-off. Details here:
https://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2017/10/26/drivers-given-new-rules-corner-cutting-mexicos-turn-one-2016-row/
Gavin Campbell
26th October 2017, 17:04
We need decent kerbs, and possibly things like tarmac with perforated holes and a little grass in it – which wouldn’t provide more mechanical grip and would ruin tyres etc. but wouldn’t be as un reliable a surface as grass. Put that on the outside of a corner – job done.
A la: http://www.pavingexpert.com/images/grass/grassguard_01.jpg
Chris Cole (@welshcole)
26th October 2017, 18:02
Am I the only one who doesn’t actually like this circuit?
George (@george)
26th October 2017, 21:05
@welshcole
No. It’s like a worse version of Hockenheim, and that’s saying something.
Marc Thielke (@motor)
26th October 2017, 19:58
In kayaking and skiing they don’t have trouble with the ‘allowed course’ , they have little poles that couldn’t hurt anybody that bounce back if hit. If you go on the wrong side of it you get a penalty, simples.
Mach1 (@mach1)
26th October 2017, 20:58
They should use a different tarmac compound, one that is super rough that will slow the car or slightly damage/scuff the tyres. Maybe like the edging rumble strips to motorways, but less severe. Just something that is super super abrasive….
It just needs a surface that makes going onto that area really undesirable…..
ADUB SMALLBLOCK (@waptraveler)
26th October 2017, 22:20
It’s called gravel. JK
racerdude7730 (@racerdude7730)
27th October 2017, 3:11
I’m sick of all this track limits stuff. Just have curves and grass and we will be set 👍 they will respect those limits when it’s grass.
Also with the headline photo used it’s mind blowing how goofy the cars used to look compaired to this year! The old ones look like tall out of proportion toys!
f12007v (@f1fan-2000)
27th October 2017, 15:05
Turn 1 has grass dosent it. But Hamilton and verstappen were able to go much faster on grass