A golden opportunity for Red Bull 

Headi🐟ng into this weekend’s 18th round of the season, Max Verstappen holds a 12-point championship lead over Lewis Hamilton, while Mercedes has a 23-point advantage over Red Bull. 

Wi🐬th 133 points still up for grabs across the remaining five races, both world titles re𓃲main wide open. 

Red Bull and Verstappen are widely regarded as favourites for Mexico City’s first race in two year🅠s due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While Mercedes has racked up three wins in the last five events in Mexico, the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit has traditionally been considered to be a Red Bull track. 

This is largely down to the circuit being situated 2,285 metres above sea level, meaning the air is almost 25% thinner. The higher altitude puts all of an F1 ca𒆙r’s vital systems such as the power unit, gearbox and brakes under greater strain. 

Mercedes’ previous power advantage has been typically equalised in Mexico, handing an advantage to its rivals, with Red Bull winning in 2017 and 2018 when it was powered by Renault. The team’s competitiveness remained following a switch to Honda power with Verstappen fastest in qualifying in 2019 b𒀰efore he received a grid penalty.&nb൲sp;

Mercedes is bracing itself for a potentially difficult weekend at one of its ‘weaker’ venues, and with engine re🥂liability concerns continuing to linger, Mexico could present Red Bull and Verstappen with🅺 a golden chance to take advantage.

If Verstappen wins and teammate Sergio Perez can put his car ahead of Hamilton’s Mercedes, the Dutchma✃n will find himself heading to another high altitude circuit in Brazil in a ♌commanding position in the championship. Such a result would also see Red Bull claw back its deficit to Mercedes in the teams’ standings. 

Will Perez be allowed to win his home race? 

For the first time in his F1 career, Sergio 🦩Perez arrives at his home race in machinery that gives h🧔im a realistic shot of winning the Mexican GP. 

Perez has already beco🅷me Mexico’s first-ever F1 race winner, and this weekend he could create further history by being the first Mexican to win their country’s grand prix. 

However, it is hard to imagine that Red Bull would n💝ot order its drivers to swap positions if it found itself in a scenario where Perez was leading Sunday’s race directly ahead of teammate🅠 Verstappen. 

After all, ensuring Verstappen beats Hamilton to the driಞvers’ title is Red Bull’s number one priority. 

Red Bull knows Verstappen needs to score maximum points at every opportunity to giꦑve hims🐎elf the best shot of claiming his maiden world title and protect himself against unknowns like reliability further down the line. 

With Perez out of title contention, Red Bull can ill afford to get sentimental with the championship entering its closiꦰng stages and such a tough call my be required this weekend - even if it would be a bitter pill for Perez to swallow. 💮;

Red Bull has alre🌺ady indicated what it is willing to do to boost Verstappen’s title prospects when it ඣgave up a 10th-place finish for Sergio Perez at Silverstone by pitting him to deny Hamilton the fastest lap bonus point.

It decided against sacrificing Perez’s hard-fought P3 on the podium in A꧟ustin by repeating that strategy, something Red Bull team principal Christian Horner conceded would have been “brutal”. 

Ferrari to overhaul McLaren? 

Ferrari’s recent resurgence following the introduction of its upgraded engine has helped it dramatically reduce the deficit to McL꧟aren in the battle for third place in the constructors’ champions🐭hip. 

The Italian ⭕outfit sits just 3.5 points behind McLaren after outperforming its arch rival for the second consecutive race in the United States, with Charles Leclerc claiming a comfortable fourth, more than 20 seconds clear of Daniel Ricciardo. 

Ferrari’s impressive performance in Austin led Lando Norri🐟s to admit that its recent power unit update has “tipped” the balance in the Scuderia’s favour going into the final five races of the season. 

"They definitely have the edge at the moment,” Norris said. “Not quicker in every place but just a car which is more consistent than u🗹s 💧and more driveable.

"But that doesn't change the way we'll try and keep pushing to stay ahead. It's not what we want so late in t♌he season, we've got to try and do something more to get back ahead of them.” 

Despite McLaren boasting the headline-grabbing results with a superb 1-2 at Monza, F🥀errari is threatening to snatch P3 away from Woking right at the end. 

Ferrari’s performance at COTA has left it feeling confident it can potentially leapfrog McLaren in Mexico g🦂iven that it was able to outscore its rival at a venue that was expected to play to the strengths of the MCL3💯5M. 

“I think we have ꦅbeen 🌌clearly faster and, I think on paper, it was not a circuit which was suiting obviously our car,” said Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto. 

"That's why I'm pleased with the pr⛎ogress I've seen in the last races, and certainly the help of the power unit, both for quali and the race. That give🅺s me some confidence for the next races."

Can AlphaTauri catch Alpine? 

Alpine’s 15-race points-scoring streak came to💧 an end in disappointing fashion in the U🍨nited States, with both Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso forced to retire with mechanical problems.

Eve♏n though AlphaTauri failed to fully capitalise on the misfortune of its nearest rival in Austin, Yuki Tsunoda’s ninth place finish means Alpine now only has a 10-point cushion in the fight for P5 in the constructors’ championship.&nbs⛎p;

Al🥀phaTauri should be strong once again at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez thanks to the combination of Honda’s competitiveness at higher altitude circuits and due to having the faster car out of the two teams more often than not. 

Alpine will be determined to hit back in Mexico, but Alon🌸so and Ocon have largely been restricted to the lower-end of the top 10 this seaso🔯n. 

With Tsunod🍨a improving and Pierre Gasly more than capable of translating his car’s potential into a big r🌳esult, Mexico and Brazil - the scene of Gasly’s maiden podium for Toro Rosso in 2019 - could be important weekends in the outcome of this midfield tussle, and possibly sway the scrap in AlphaTauri’s favour.