F1 continues its Americas triple-header with a trip to Mexico for the 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix.
Following a controversial US GP, Max Verstappen has arrived in Mexico with an extended title lead over Lando Norris, as he heads the Brit by 57 points with just four more races left after this event.
McLaren meanwhile holds a 40-point lead over Red Bull in the constructors’ standings, whilst Ferrari are a further eight points back with their fight expected to go to the wire.
There will also be some FP1 driver changes as Felipe Drugovich replaces Fernando Alonso at Aston Martin, whilst Oliver Bearman and Robert Shwartzman will replace Charles Leclerc and Guanyu Zhou at Ferrari and Sauber respectively.
Mexico’s IndyCar star, Pato O’Ward will get a run out for McLaren as well in FP1.
Now, here is everything you need to know ahead of 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix.
Track Guide
Laps: 71
Race Distance: 305.354km
Tyre Compounds: C3, C4, C5
Schedule
| Date | Session | Time (BST)* |
| Friday 25 October | FP1 | 7:30pm |
| Friday 25 October | FP2 | 11:00pm |
| Saturday 26 October | FP3 | 6:30pm |
| Saturday 26 October | Qualifying | 10:00pm |
| Sunday 27 October | Race | 8:00pm* |
*Race will take place at 8pm GMT because clocks in UK go back one hour at 2am on 27 October.
SIX Key Pointers
- Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is situated at high-altitude which will place huge pressures upon the turbo section of power unit and cooling within the car.
- Strong reliable brakes will be important given the potential high temperatures and limited cooling opportunities due to the thin air.
- Avoiding contact in the opening corners of the race will be crucial to keeping to planned race strategies.
- McLaren haven’t always performed well around the modern iteration of this circuit, so this could well be a test of their progress.
- With an extended 90 minute FP2 devoted to a Pirelli tyre test except for those skipping FP1 – who will test for 60 minutes, FP1 and FP3 will be key to setup understanding.
- Slipstreaming along the very-long main straight can be crucial at the race start meaning that the front row might not be the best place to start if those behind can get a tow to Turn One.
Last Time Out
Verstappen dominated the Mexico City GP in 2023 after he punted pole-sitter, Charles Leclerc into his own teammate – Sergio Perez, which ended the Mexican’s home race at the first corner.
There however was a 21 minute red flag mid-race after Haas’ Kevin Magnussen suffered a heavy crash at turn nine, which led to Tech-Pro barrier damage.