IT'S RACE WEEK: 5 storylines we're excited about ahead of the 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix

After a huge race weekend in Austin, another one awaits as the teams make the relatively short trip south to Mexico City. With 40 points covering the top three drivers in the championship and plenty of young drivers set to get track time, it’s going to be another action-packed three days of track running at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

McLaren targeting a quick response

Only a week ago, in the build-up to Austin, we pointed out how the Drivers’ Championship picture could change quickly across the coming double header. The first part of that certainly delivered on that front, with the United States Grand Prix seeing Max Verstappen close the gap to Oscar Piastri to just 40 points.

It’s a remarkable run of form over the past four races that has seen Verstappen take 64 points out of Piastri’s lead, and with five rounds to go he’s very much in the title mix. But having another race just one weekend later can work both ways.

Verstappen’s recent form makes him a real threat, and Red Bull will hope to continue the momentum they have built up since Monza, but McLaren have still had a quick car in that time. Piastri struggled to match Lando Norris for pace at Circuit of The Americas, but the lead McLaren was very much on par with Verstappen’s performance level when not fighting Charles Leclerc.

The pressure might be building on McLaren, but one strong weekend can alleviate some of that, while Verstappen says he has to be “perfect” every time to stay in the frame.

Games between rival teams

As we reach the business end of the season and the title fight hots up between not only the McLaren drivers but Verstappen as well, so too does the tension between the teams themselves.

In Austin, Red Bull were fined €50,000 – of which €25,000 is suspended until the end of the season – for a team member entering the area around an access gate in the pit wall after the formation lap had started.

Although the stewards’ verdict didn’t make any specific claims about why the team member entered the area, there were suggestions in the paddock that they were trying to remove a strip of tape on the pit wall that had been placed there by McLaren to try and help Lando Norris line up in the optimum position in his grid slot. McLaren adding that tape is not against the rules – but nor is removing it.

Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies was asked about the incident in his post-race media briefing in Austin, saying: “I think we were summoned because it was felt that sometime during the grid procedures, one of our guys had not followed the official instructions and we spoke with our people, they are very positive that they have followed our instructions at all times, so I think it's probably a misunderstanding there.”

Regardless, the rumours will likely ramp up the rivalry between the two teams entering the final five race weekends of the year. 

One of Ferrari’s better chances to win?

It has been a tough 2025 for Ferrari so far, with no race victory to their name after such a strong end to 2024 that saw them fighting for the Teams’ Championship with McLaren.

As part of last year’s title run-in, Ferrari had a particularly productive double header when they won both Austin and Mexico, as Charles Leclerc led home a 1-2 at Circuit of The Americas before Carlos Sainz triumphed at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

Although the level of performance has not been to quite the same level so far this season, there was still a strong showing in Austin as Leclerc finished third and Lewis Hamilton fourth, both qualifying well on Saturday after a tricky start to the weekend.

Leclerc was having to defend from Norris for much of the race, but despite losing out in that battle, he was still competitive compared to race winner Verstappen, and the recovery after a tough Friday was impressive.

If last year can be used as a barometer, then Ferrari could well be closer to the front once again this weekend – and if they can get their car working amid the unique characteristics of Mexico City, it could be an outside threat for victory.

Plenty of FP1 rookies

Ever since the rules were made mandatory for teams to run a rookie driver in a select number of FP1 sessions each year, a few traditional venues have emerged when teams make use of their young talents.

One of those is Mexico City, due to the nature of the circuit – as in, not a street circuit such as Las Vegas, Singapore or Azerbaijan – and the fact it’s not a Sprint weekend. Austin, Brazil and Qatar all see just one FP1 session held, so teams can’t afford to take that away from one of their race drivers.

So this weekend in Mexico there will be plenty of rookies looking to make a good impression, including at Aston Martin where American Jak Crawford will make his FP1 debut, and at Williams where Crawford’s F2 title rival Luke Browning also gets another outing.

There’s a change at McLaren, too, where home hero Pato O’Ward will hope to impress while also trying to help the team’s chances of getting back to winning ways.

One driver not taking part but also in the news this week is O’Ward’s former IndyCar rival Colton Herta, who has now had his 2026 plans confirmed after signing with Hitech for a Formula 2 season.

A unique challenge

The beauty of a 24-race Formula 1 calendar is the wide range of venues we race on during a year, with different characteristics and climates across the 21 countries that host a Grand Prix.

Yet some races stand out more than others as being particularly different, and Mexico City is one of them due to the altitude of the circuit. Located more than 2,200m above sea level – and some 1,400m higher than the next highest venue on the schedule – the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez provides a stern test.

The thinner air at such an altitude has a big impact on both the car’s aerodynamics and power unit performance, with effectively less air hitting the car. That means even a high downforce set-up – akin to Monaco levels – will have a low-downforce feeling such as at Monza, with cars sliding around more.

The power unit also doesn’t get as much air into it, potentially impacting reliability, while that air is also then less effective at cooling components on the car. Often drivers have to make a move quickly or drop back for a bit of clear space to keep the car cool, adding to the considerations during a race.

It all plays out in front of one of the most vocal and vibrant crowds of the year, with the huge numbers that surround the track in the Foro Sol section at the end of the lap a particular highlight.