The tip of the 2025 Method 1 season is in sight because the championship hosts the Mexican Grand Prix this weekend to kickstart the ultimate 5 rounds of the yr.
It comes only a week after the US GP, which Max Verstappen dominated from pole after the Purple Bull driver additionally gained the dash contest to proceed his nice run of type.
Discuss has been continuous ever since over if the four-time world champion is within the title battle, or whether it is nonetheless being fought by the McLaren pair of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
That’s one among many issues to regulate this weekend, so listed below are 5 issues to look out for on the Mexico Grand Prix.
Will Verstappen proceed his title cost?
Max Verstappen, Purple Bull Racing
Photograph by: Jim Watson / AFP through Getty Photographs
McLaren had dominated the 2025 marketing campaign a lot that it appeared the drivers’ title battle was solely between Piastri and Norris who, between them, gained 12 of the opening 15 grands prix. Talks had even been held internally about the way to have fun the eventual champion to keep away from any dramas with the runner-up.
However McLaren claiming a double championship – having already gained the constructors’ title – is not a foregone conclusion because of the unimaginable type of Verstappen. It began on the Italian Grand Prix, the place Purple Bull introduced a collection of upgrades together with a brand new ground, and all of the sudden the Austrian outfit had a automotive that was able to difficult McLaren on all tracks.
Throughout the following 4 weekends, Verstappen reduce his 104-point deficit to championship chief Piastri to simply 40 and is 26 behind Norris. It’s nicely documented what Verstappen can do with the perfect automotive – 19 wins in 2023, for instance – and that’s one thing he has proper now, which ought to proceed into Mexico.
The excessive altitude of Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is outlined by its skinny air, which negates the impact of larger wings and is a motive Purple Bull sometimes thrives in Mexico. Its automotive additionally enjoys steady downforce on the larger trip heights which might be required to guard the planks from Mexico’s bumpy observe, and quick corners aren’t the place McLaren is at its finest.
So not solely is Verstappen claiming a fifth, consecutive title a real risk, however his latest type also can function a take a look at to the McLaren pair to evaluate their mettle. Each are preventing for his or her maiden crown and Piastri, particularly, wants an enormous outcome to cease any momentum from his challengers.
Will Purple Bull announce its 2026 driver line-up?
Yuki Tsunoda, Purple Bull Racing
Photograph by: Simon Galloway / LAT Photographs through Getty Photographs
Verstappen could also be loving life proper now, however his team-mate Yuki Tsunoda definitely isn’t. Nicely, in reality, any team-mate of the Dutchman has discovered it powerful in recent times. Liam Lawson began the season in that function, having changed the struggling Sergio Perez, however the 23-year-old solely lasted two rounds after not scoring some extent.
So, Tsunoda was given the promotion from sister outfit Racing Bulls for spherical three, Japan, onwards however has confronted comparable struggles. The Japanese driver scored simply 25 factors for Purple Bull leaving him sixteenth within the championship and never but signed for subsequent yr.
He isn’t anticipated to be signed both, with Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar set for the promotion after a stable marketing campaign that included a podium at Zandvoort. With Hadjar shifting up, Purple Bull junior Arvid Lindblad is anticipated to affix Racing Bulls after his season in F2.
Purple Bull administration had beforehand said that it goals to announce its driver line-ups throughout each groups by the tip of October, that means it could possibly be confirmed this weekend. The one actual query is who will probably be Lindblad’s team-mate? It’s more likely to be both Lawson or Tsunoda with the previous being the favorite given he’s a few years youthful than the Purple Bull driver and what good would a demotion to Racing Bulls serve for the 25-year-old?
Tsunoda is in a battle to save lots of his F1 profession, so will that lead to a points-scoring Mexico weekend? Solely time will inform.
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Is Ferrari’s tempo real?
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Photograph by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Photographs through Getty Photographs
Ferrari has been one of the crucial underwhelming groups in 2025 given it was anticipated to launch a title battle towards McLaren. That comes after the pair was left preventing for final yr’s constructors’ championship on the Abu Dhabi finale, however whereas McLaren took the following step – Ferrari regressed.
The Scuderia is third within the championship, 344 factors behind McLaren and but to even win a grand prix. Austin, nevertheless, marked huge enchancment for the workforce as Charles Leclerc completed third with Lewis Hamilton in fourth – marking its highest factors tally from a grand prix since Austria in June.
Granted, a very good motive behind Leclerc’s podium was his offset technique by taking softs at lights out, however even when he was on the medium rubber he displayed stable tempo towards soft-runner Norris within the battle for second. Hamilton, as nicely, confirmed promise by holding off Piastri and this weekend will function a very good take a look at for Ferrari to see if its Austin weekend was a one-off or if it will possibly truly battle on the entrance persistently.
Ferrari completed 1-3 in Mexico final yr, however since chasing decrease trip heights for the SF-25, it has usually struggled on bumpy tracks in 2025. Simply have a look at Singapore, the place it completed fifth and sixth and was nicely behind Mercedes, Purple Bull and McLaren.
All will not be nicely at Alpine as Colapinto fights for his future
Pierre Gasly, Alpine, Franco Colapinto, Alpine
Photograph by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Photographs through Getty Photographs
This has not been the season that anyone at Alpine hoped for because the French outfit is backside of the championship. It’s due to this fact on the right track for its worst end for the reason that model took over from Renault in 2021 and likewise the worst end for the Enstone-based workforce since Renault got here ninth in 2016.
Austin was an instance of how dire issues are given Alpine not solely completed seventeenth and nineteenth, however its drivers additionally had a battle regardless of the directions of the workforce. Franco Colapinto was being chased by Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto within the remaining laps whereas additionally closing in on team-mate Pierre Gasly.
Regardless of Alpine telling Colapinto to carry place in 18th, the Argentine overtook Gasly who additionally then dropped behind Bortoleto into nineteenth. Alpine director Steve Nielsen known as it “disappointing” and within the workforce’s Mexico preview, Colapinto revealed the matter had been “mentioned internally” and that “directions by the workforce should at all times be adopted”.
It looks as if he has been reprimanded for the incident, so will probably be fascinating to see how Colapinto fares this weekend – notably as he’s preventing for his 2026 spot. The 22-year-old has not scored some extent since changing Jack Doohan for spherical seven, Imola, and it’s unclear if Alpine will stick to him or search for a brand new driver to companion Gasly subsequent season.
What is evident is that Colapinto’s performances want to enhance and there’s no time like the current, so what higher strategy to bounce again from Austin than by giving Alpine its first factors end since Belgium in July?
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A minimum of 9 rookies contesting FP1 in Mexico
Alexander Dunne, McLaren
Photograph by: Steven Tee / LAT Photographs through Getty Photographs
F1 guidelines mandate that every season a automotive should give not less than two follow outings to a driver with not more than two grand prix begins. Alex Dunne, for instance, changed Norris for Austria FP1 as did Dino Beganovic as a substitute of Leclerc.
They have been the one two children in that session, whereas this weekend FP1 may have not less than 9 of them. Pato O’Ward is changing Norris, Antonio Fuoco is in for Hamilton, Lindblad in for Verstappen, Frederik Vesti in for George Russell, Jak Crawford in for Lance Stroll, Paul Aron in for Gasly, Ryo Hirakawa in for Oliver Bearman, Ayumu Iwasa in for Lawson and Luke Browning is in for Carlos Sainz.
It was the same scenario final yr when 4 rookies partook, exhibiting Mexico as an excellent place for a full-time racer to skip the opening session. It is because it’s a well-known circuit, a spot the place groups have plenty of knowledge and the observe is commonly dusty in FP1 that means it’s an unrepresentative session. It’s also not a dash weekend, and plenty of groups are not becoming upgrades forward of subsequent yr’s rule change.
So FP1 could also be extra fascinating than typical given the numerous new faces, who could use it as a possibility to point out why they need to be an F1 driver. Dunne, for instance, put himself on individuals’s radar after ending fourth in Austria, whereas Friday also can function preparation for someone like Lindblad forward of his anticipated promotion.
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