Will Perez bow under hometown pressure? What to watch for at 2023 Mexico City GP

Therefore, attention has now been drawn to those behind him, but the spotlight will surely shine brightest on the hometown hero of this coming weekend: Sergio Perez.

The Mexican finds himself in the midst of a season-long struggle; having not qualified on the front row of the grid since Miami and not having won a race since Azerbaijan; while his team-mate has dominated out front. Such a difference in performance has caused many to question Perez’s long-term future — not only at Red Bull but on the F1 grid entirely.

But the Milton Keynes marque won’t be the only ones vying for victory: Mercedes and Ferrari are set to continue their heated battle for second place in the constructors’ standings, while the continued performance of McLaren could be a thorn in the side of many of the front-runners.

Races in Mexico are often packed with action right up to the chequered flag, and with plenty still to prove in 2023, there will be much to watch out for at this weekend’s Grand Prix.

Could Sergio Perez retire from F1 at his home grand prix?

If the roaring cheers of 110,000 home fans can’t spur him to a fairytale comeback this weekend, there are many rumours that suggest that Mexico’s former ‘Minister of Defence’ will not be Verstappen’s team-mate next season.

As suggested by Mark Hughes for Motor Sport, retirement could be the best option for Perez to end his woeful run of form, which arguably began with his Q1 crash at the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix. The Mexican has failed to out-qualify or out-race Verstappen ever since and has fallen 226 points behind him in the drivers’ standings.

Rumours of a performance ultimatum began to spread: Red Bull demanding that Perez had to finish second in the drivers’ standings in order to secure his race seat for 2024. But with his performance continuing to decline in the USA — where he finished a distant fourth — a tear-jerking retirement announcement in front of an adoring home crowd could be on the cards, in an attempt to save face.

Daniel Ricciardo would expectedly be the first name on the list of many to replace Perez in 2024, alongside the likes of Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda.

 

Has Logan Sargeant earned his Williams contract extension? 

Following the disqualification of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc from the US Grand Prix, Logan Sargeant was promoted to his first F1 points finish; crossing the line in tenth, only a second behind team-mate Alex Albon.

Admittedly, it wasn’t the most show-stopping performance from the young American — who had originally qualified last before picking up positions with the retirements of Esteban Ocon, Oscar Piastri and Fernando Alonso. But, it’s a drive which could have greatly increased his chances of re-appearing on the F1 grid in 2024.

Williams are the only team yet to confirm their full driver line-up for next season, but team principal James Vowles has been increasingly supportive of his rookie driver — despite numerous costly crashes.

“Scoring points” and “racing closer to Alex” were the only parameters Sargeant had to meet if he wanted his first F1 contract renewed. A COTA-like performance in Mexico — where the Williams should be effective due to its high-speed advantage over the rest of the midfield — could see the rookie put pen to paper very soon.

 

Could Mercedes be the new favourites?

At 2,240m above sea-level, the air is thin in Mexico City, meaning the cars with the least amount of drag and wind resistance are ultimately the ones which find themselves fighting at the front. Mercedes proved that particular theory in 2022: both Hamilton and George Russell finished inside the top four during qualifying and Sunday’s race.

A new floor upgrade in COTA could deliver similar front-running performance in 2023. “This is one of the first upgrades that I’ve actually felt over the last two years,” said Hamilton ahead of his second-place finish in the US. “So that’s a positive, and we just need two or three times of this step to put us in super competitive mode, which I believe the guys can do.”

If Mercedes can finish on a high this season — starting with a possible victory in Mexico — and continue on a similar development path to Red Bull, a Hamilton vs Verstappen rematch could be just months away.

 

101st time’s the charm for Norris? 

George Russell and Lando Norris celebrated their 100th grand prix start at the US Grand Prix — a mammoth achievement for two drivers who are still in their early 20s. But while the former has struggled this year in comparison to his world title-winning team-mate, the latter has become a regular front-runner — a debut F1 victory now well within reach.

McLaren’s “golden boy” — as Russell calls him — has pushed the very limits of the MCL60 this season, resulting in seven podium finishes. Having come close to the top step of the podium at Silverstone and Japan — circuits which share similar characteristics to Mexico City — Norris could find his way to the front of the pack and finally have the pace to stay there.

“[Nico] Rosberg retired after his first championship, I’m going to retire after my first win.” Norris jokingly told Sky Sports F1. “You’re only as good as your last race.”

 

A new tyre compound 

While drivers will remain fully focused on closing out their current campaign, Pirelli will be keeping an eye on the future: testing a new 2024 C4 tyre compound during Friday’s practice sessions.

The compound will be a step softer than the ones used in the US, with Pirelli bringing the C3 (hard tyre), C4 (medium tyre) and C5 (soft) tyre to Mexico.

Previously, the C4 had been used as a short-distance and high-speed soft tyre, but the increased demands of the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez has inspired F1’s official tyre manufacturer to get a little experimental in an attempt to make the series as safe as possible.

Each driver will get two sets of the C4 tyre to trial at their own discretion.

 

F2 front-runners to make F1 debut

Mercedes junior Frederik Vesti will make his FP1 debut in Mexico City this weekend — replacing George Russell.

The young Dane has been a regular front-runner over the course of the F2 season, having scored feature race victories in Jeddah and Monte Carlo as well as sprint race wins at Barcelona, Silverstone and Monza. Heading into the season finale in Abu Dhabi, he trails series’ leader Théo Pourchaire by 25 points, meaning an F2 title is well within reach.

Although this will be his first taste of motor sport’s top flight during the action-packed schedule of a race weekend, Vesti did partake in the Abu Dhabi young driver test last season, lapping the Yas Marina circuit 124 times in the W14. But with little room left on the current grid — a seat at Williams the only spot left for 2024 — the chances of promotion into F1 look bleak for Vesti — regardless of how well he does this weekend.