‘25 Mexico Grand Prix
About the Grand Prix: The first Formula 1 Mexican Grand Prix occurred in 1963 at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City. The circuit was named after Mexican racing brothers Ricardo and Pedro Rodríguez. Both were talented drivers who met tragic deaths. Ricardo Rodríguez, one of Mexico's most promising drivers, died during a practice session at the track in 1962, and the venue became a memorial to him.
The Mexican GP quickly gained a reputation for exciting races and large crowds. It was part of the Formula 1 calendar from 1963 to 1970, when it was dropped due to a combination of safety concerns. After a brief return from 1986 to 1992, the Grand Prix returned in 2015, redesigned by Herman Tilke. The Mexico GP is one of the most loved races on the calendar, with enormous crowds and massive local support.
About the Circuit: The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is a seventeen-corner permanent motor racing circuit 4.304 km (2.674 miles) long. The track is located at an elevation of over 2,200 meters (7,350 feet), which significantly affects car performance—the thin air results in lower downforce and cooling challenges. The race is 71 laps long.
McLaren: Well, it happened; luckily in the sprint race and not the GP, but the McLarens took each other out. It should be a wake-up call to the team; both drivers need to think big picture, or you have a four-time world champion building momentum about to tear down the door. McLaren isn't in panic mode, but it's right on the border before it. If it's not a McLaren win this weekend, it's officially time to hit the panic button.
Mercedes: Riding high after the Singapore win, George found himself second on the podium for the sprint race in Texas. It appeared Mercedes was going to have a bit of luck go their way after the first lap sprint incident. It didn't quite transfer over to the main race, and George found himself in sixth place, while Antonelli was just out of the points. It wasn't a bad weekend, just not as good as they needed it to be. Ferrari closed the gap on the constructors, now a seven-point gap between second and third; just a ten-point gap from second to fourth. This season is far from over, and if Mercedes wants to keep second in the constructors, they need to bring it every single weekend until the season is over. Red Bull is strong, Ferrari is starting to put it together, and Mercedes needs to match both of them to keep their current position.
Ferrari: Low-key Ferrari had a fantastic weekend. A GP podium, two fourth-place finishes from Lewis, collectively a great team weekend. Even with that, a little more could have been expected. It feels a little late in the season for teams to still be "figuring it out" in these last few races, but there's tens of millions at stake, and anyone can take second in the constructors' championship. A few strong races in a row, and the title is looking different.
Red Bull: Max is making everyone in F1 question if he can do the "impossible" and win his fifth championship. It's wild that two months ago, it was all but over for Verstappen in terms of championship contention. Since the summer break, it's been peak Max, and every single race weekend, he is chipping away at the title points gap. COTA was excellent for Red Bull, with a near-perfect weekend for Max: Sprint & GP poles and victories, and Yuki also had a strong double points weekend.
Williams: Another podium for Carlos Sainz. Yes, it was a Sprint Race podium, but Williams went home with hardware for another race in 2025 —that's incredible. Mexico could be another breakout weekend for Williams, Sainz had his last victory forFerrarii in Mexico last season, and the Williams of Albon showed signs of pace all weekend last year. Low drag and high straight-line efficiency have always been a sweet spot for Williams, and the Autódromo will be a great place to showcase this.
VCARB: A near miss for the team in Texas. Not even a Shaboozey-themed livery could get them to crack into the points. Close all weekend, but walked away from Texas empty-handed. Unusual for the team at this point, but sometimes it goes that way. I expect a competitive weekend from the team in Mexico. Honestly, there is no other team with the 2026 driver lineup uncertainty like VCARB...Everyone is driving for their jobs next season. No days off.
Aston Martin: Slight momentum vs. less than stellar past. That's what Aston Martin is looking at for Mexico. The team has shown some improvements over the last few races, but still can't really break into the good points. Can the team take those little wins and battle a circuit that hasn't traditionally been kind to the team? Statistically, Mexico has not been a good circuit for Stroll or Alonso: Fernando has only 3 points in his career in Mexico, and Stroll has only one sixth-place finish.
Kick Sauber: Nico did it again. After a brilliant sprint qualifying, starting the sprint race in fourth, he wouldn't see past the first corner after getting caught up in the McLaren crash. The weekend would still deliver an excellent result for the team, with Hulkenberg finishing the grand prix in eighth place for points. Nico had a strong race in Mexico last season with Haas; Gabi is driving excellently, expectations at Kick Sauber.
Haas: Ollie has clearly outperformed Ocon over the last five races, with three points finishes, including a sixth, compared to Ocon's one tenth-place finish. Ocon needs to bring the same energy we saw at the beginning of the season, Ollie is ascending, and Haas could close the 13-point gap to sixth-place VCARB. Ocon has traditionally had good races in Mexico, with a '17 Force India top-5 finish as his best finish there.
Alpine: The expectations for Alpine are relatively low at this point in the season. A points finish almost seems out of reach at the moment, so any points from here on out are truly a remarkable feat for the team. Gasly has a few good finishes in Mexico, with a career-best fourth place with AlphaTauri. Franco only has one race in Mexico and just missed out on the points with Williams. Let's see if the team can put something together, but I wouldn't put much on it.
