There are 20 drivers competing in Formula 1 this season, but Mexico’s energetic crowd has eyes only for Sergio Pérez.
The Mexico City Grand Prix is built on Pérez’s idol-like status in his home country, where he’s held up as one of the nation’s great sporting exports.
It might be easy to see Pérez only through the lens of his struggles this season, but it’s worth remembering the body of work he’s put together over more than a decade in the sport, including six victories — one of which was a superb midfield win with Racing Point — and 28 other podiums.
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His longevity alone speaks to a level of establishment most other F1 drivers never achieve.
But you’re only as good as your last performance in F1, and Pérez is clearly under pressure upon arrival at home.
In a season dominated by his teammate, who’s claimed both championships entirely off his own bat, Pérez will dominate this weekend off the track — and his performance on it will be one of its biggest talking points.
CAN PÉREZ LIFT UNDER THE PRESSURE AT HOME?
Red Bull Racing’s language when it comes to Pérez’s future has grown more urgent in recent months, and it struck a new level of desperation following his insipid performance in Qatar.
The team is eager to secure its first ever one-two championship finish with one of the all-time dominant cars, but Pérez has been so far unable to seal the deal.
Speculation last week suggested the team has issued Pérez an ultimatum to secure second in the standings or face the sack, though team boss Christian Horner categorically denied the rumours at the weekend.
But even if his contract isn’t officially on the line, there’s no doubting that finishing third in a car as good as this would be a fatal blow to Pérez’s career.
Lewis Hamilton has been making gradual inroads into second place, and Mercedes’s latest upgrades suddenly had the Briton on the attack. He would have sliced the margin down to 19 points in Austin, but instead his disqualification blew the margin back out to 39 points.
Through no doing of his own, Pérez got a firm grasp back on the position with four rounds to go.
Yet it’s hard to say it’s safe given the depths of Pérez’s form slump this season.
His limp Qatar performance triggered some long meetings with his engineers ahead of the US Grand Prix, where he qualified ninth and finished fifth — reasonable but certainly unspectacular.
“At times I had very good pace but was still lacking that consistency,” Pérez told Sky Sports.
“I think we did some very good steps. Unfortunately we didn’t get to show it because we took a bit of a wrong direction on set-up given that it was sprint race [format], but I’m still very optimistic for Mexico.
“We know what direction we need to take. Hopefully we get to show that.”
He’ll need to be absolutely on it in Mexico, though. Not only are Mercedes and McLaren circling, but it’s a track at which a good qualifying performance is absolutely critical given the difficulty overtaking.
One-lap pace has been his key weakness all season. Despite the speed of his car, he’s the eighth best qualifier on average this season, behind Lando Norris and only just ahead of Oscar Piastri — and keep in mind where McLaren started the season in considering that average.
Pérez needs some big performances this season to secure his place in the sport. There’d be no better time to get one than at a grand prix effectively run in his honour.
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IS MERCEDES REALLY GETTING STRONGER?
Hamilton ran Verstappen unusually close for victory last weekend, getting within two seconds of an unlikely win.
Hindsight makes it an easy call, but had Mercedes not dithered over the Briton’s first pit stop, Hamilton almost certainly would’ve had his first victory since 2021.
Of course he was subsequently disqualified, rendering it a moot hypothetical, but his impressive pace remains a live talking point.
The result came off the back of an upgrade to the wayward Mercedes car. It was designed not just to boost performance but also to act as a signifier of whether the team’s thoughts on developments for next season were moving in the right direction.
“This is an improvement,” Hamilton said emphatically afterwards. “This is one of the first upgrades that I’ve actually felt over the last two years, so that’s a positive.
“We just need two or three times of this step to put us in super competitive mode, which I believe the guys can do.”
What that means for Mexico will be interesting given this was one of the team’s most competitive weekends last season with a markedly less competitive car. It was also a precursor for its only victory of the season at the subsequent São Paulo Grand Prix.
Of course no-one should get too far ahead of themselves given Verstappen’s brake problems in Texas artificially reduced his pace — don’t forget he won the 19-lap sprint race by almost 10 seconds.
But if Mercedes is now within striking distance in favourable conditions, that could be enough to change the complexion of the final rounds of the year.
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WILL NORRIS NAB F1’S UNWANTED RECORD?
Lando Norris has launched himself into an excellent second half of the season off the back of McLaren’s mid-year upgrades.
Second place at the United States Grand Prix made it four podiums in a row and six for the year, bringing his career total to 12.
It’s a great tally for a driver in his fifth season, but it also brings him to the cusp of equalling the unwanted record for most podium finishes without a win.
The record is currently held by Nick Heidfeld, who stood on the rostrum 13 times but never took the top step.
One more for Norris would see him tie Heidfeld for that unenviable record.
What odds he manages it this weekend?
The Circuit of the Americas was a good indicator of overall performance this season given the track features a variety of corner speeds as well as long straights, even if the heat and bumps make it a bit of an outlier.
The results suggest McLaren is in the podium mix but still lacking too significant in the slow corners, where traction troubles have it burning up its rear tyres too fast.
That’s bad news for this weekend.
Not only is grip at a premium at this circuit at high altitude, where the car can’t generate anywhere near its usual downforce levels owing to the thin air, but most of the track’s corners are slow.
But the MCL60 has been a constant surprise in the second half of the season, often performing well at tracks the team has expected to struggle at.
“It was a pleasant surprise — on quite a bumpy track and with a decent amount of low-speed corners — that we were still competitive [in Austin],” Oscar Piastri said, per Speedcafe. “Hopefully we can have some good results.”
But given even a good result this weekend is unlikely to be emphatic, the most Norris will likely be able to hope for is a record-equalling podium rather than a drought-busting win.
“Do I think our best chances [of winning] have gone? I would say yes,” he said. “I think there are no super high speed, Suzuka-style, Qatar-style circuits left which is where we’re strong.
“I just want to be hopeful that we can do good results.”
For the record, the benchmark for most podiums before a first victory is 15, jointly held by Patrick Depailler, Jean Alesi, Mika Häkkinen and Eddie Irvine, who all took the top step on their 16th visit.
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CAN JACK DOOHAN MAKE AN IMPRESSION?
Though the Mexico City Grand Prix starts at the east coast friendly time of 7:00am, you have a good reason to set your Saturday alarm for the decidedly more hostile 5:30am (AEDT), when Jack Doohan will get his first of two practice outings with Alpine this season.
Every team is obliged to devote two practice sessions a year to a rookie driver, with Doohan getting the nod at the French team as the most senior driver in its academy.
He will also feature in FP1 in Abu Dhabi, the same two-race place he completed for the team last season.
“It is a huge honour to be given the opportunity to drive a Formula 1 car on a grand prix weekend for the second year in a row,’ he said. “I am very grateful.
“I have been working really hard with the team this year as their reserve driver, taking every opportunity to learn as much as possible for them, and I feel prepared to step up and take over driving duties for the team.
“My sole focus is doing what is required of me by the team in order to contribute positively to the team’s outcome across the two grand prix weekends.”
Alpine won’t be looking for hot laps from Doohan, only that he can slip into the role and fulfil the standard practice program. The team already knows he’s quick; this is a chance for him to show he’s the complete package.
Ferrari will field Oliver Bearman in his first grand prix appearance, and Mercedes will also give Frederik Vesti the wheel.
HOW CAN I WATCH IT?
The 2023 Mexico City Grand Prix is live and ad-break free during racing on Kayo and Fox Sports.
First practice starts at 5:30am (AEDT) on Saturday, with second practice following at 9:00am.
Final practice is at 4:30am on Sunday ahead of qualifying at 8:00am.
Pre-race coverage start at 5:30am on Monday before lights out for the Mexico City Grand Prix at 7:00am.
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