A 3-way championship combat tops F1 Mexico Metropolis Grand Prix storylines

When the System 1 grid landed in Austin for final week’s United States Grand Prix, the script for the season’s remaining act appeared slightly easy. A two-way combat between McLaren and Crimson Bull for the Constructors’ Championship. A duel between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen for the Drivers’ Championship. Easy and easy.

Charles Leclerc and Ferrari determined to make some edits on the Circuit of the Americas.

Leclerc’s emphatic victory in Austin, with teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. ending behind him, thrust each Leclerc again into the combination within the Drivers’ Championship, and Ferrari again into competition for the Constructors’ Championship. McLaren nonetheless leads Crimson Bull by 40 factors within the Constructors’ standings, however Ferrari is simply eight factors behind Crimson Bull now, having closed the hole in Austin.

As for the Drivers’ Championship, whereas Verstappen prolonged his lead over Norris for the primary time for the reason that Belgian Grand Prix, Leclerc now sits 79 factors behind Verstappen.

And solely 22 factors behind Norris.

As Leclerc mentioned Sunday throughout the FIA Press Convention, till he and Ferrari are eradicated, he’s going to imagine.

“I imply, by no means say by no means. Let’s say that for the Constrictors, if we do all the pieces good till the top of the season, it doesn’t matter what McLaren does, if we do higher than them, I believe we are able to nonetheless clinch that title. With the drivers, I see it a bit differently. Even when we do all the pieces good, I really feel like it’s going to require a bit of little bit of luck inside that to attempt to get that title, and we can’t actually depend on luck,” mentioned Leclerc on Sunday. “So the Drivers’ appears to be fairly unlikely, however once more, I’ll imagine in it till it’s mathematically inconceivable. However trickier.”

Trickier.

However not inconceivable.

This sudden three-way combat leads the storylines heading into this week’s Mexico Metropolis Grand Prix.

Franco Colapinto is getting nearer to residence

Photograph by Kym Illman/Getty Photographs

One in all my favourite moments from final week in Austin got here simply moments earlier than the lights went out for the US Grand Prix.

I used to be strolling by way of the paddock, making the trek again to the media middle from being on pit lane throughout pre-race festivities. That’s once I noticed an older gentleman posing for {a photograph} behind the Williams storage, holding up an Argentine, on which he had written “Franco.”

The gentleman additionally had a smile on his face brighter than the searing Texas solar.

Franco Colapinto has captivated the whole sport, together with his meteoric rise from F2 driver to F1 star, whereas respiratory new life into the group at Williams. Colapinto, on his first F1 Dash Race weekend, delivered a robust restoration driving, ending within the factors regardless of beginning fifteenth on the grid. That provides him a pair of factors finishes in his 4 races in F1, and he has caught the eye of rival group principals as he fights for a spot of his personal on the grid for subsequent season.

Nonetheless, this week he’ll get to race nearer to residence, a undeniable fact that was not misplaced on the younger driver when he met with the media Thursday in Austin.

“I do know many followers are gonna be in Mexico, and extra in Brazil,” mentioned Colapinto final week.

“So it’s gonna really feel virtually like residence, I believe no less than Brazil, and I’m very enthusiastic about it,” continued Colapinto. “I’ve a variety of assist from the followers from Argentina to race near the place my house is, and it’s one thing I’ve been ready for and one thing I’ve been dreaming of.

“And it’s occurring now. Very thrilling instances.”

Very thrilling instances, certainly.

Sergio Pérez below stress at his residence race

Loss of life, taxes, and Sergio Pérez below stress.

Talking with the media in Austin shortly after the checkered flag flew at the US Grand Prix, Crimson Bull group boss Christian Horner famous how each Ferrari and McLaren have driver pairings preventing constantly on the entrance, whereas the scenario is totally different at Crimson Bull.

“Congratulations to [Ferrari] this weekend, they’ve been very robust, they usually’ve bought two drivers which can be competing on the entrance,” mentioned Horner to the media, together with SB Nation, Sunday night time in Austin. “McLaren likewise, their drivers, there’s not an enormous deficit between them. That’s the place we actually want, for the Constructors’, to have Checo come into play.”

Now Pérez heads to this weekend’s Mexico Metropolis Grand Prix, his residence race, below elevated stress to ship a efficiency given Crimson Bull’s standing within the Constructors’ Championship combat. Rumors earlier this fall held that Pérez would announce a surprising retirement at this race, rumors the motive force shot down in unimaginable style on social media.

Nonetheless, the mixture of his residence race, and the stress he’s below, will probably be an amazing quantity of weight on his shoulders as he climbs into the RB20 later this week. Keep in mind final season’s race, when Pérez crashed out on the first nook whereas trying a daring overtake of Verstappen and Leclerc? Hopefully, for Pérez and Crimson Bull, we don’t see one thing comparable this week.

Later in his media session Sunday night time, Horner talked in regards to the assist Pérez will obtain in Mexico Metropolis, and the way which may give the motive force a lift.

“Hopefully with the assist that he’ll obtain in Mexico, it’s going to give him that enhance,” mentioned Horner. “Clearly while you qualify out of place you lose a lot time coming by way of the tail finish of the vehicles within the high ten that you just’ve misplaced contact with the remainder of the race.”

Each the group, and the motive force, want that enhance to return by way of this week.

The combat for sixth between VCARB and Haas

The three-way combat between McLaren, Crimson Bull, and Ferrari will dominate the dialog down the closing stretch of the 2024 F1 season.

However in a sport the place each place issues — by way of prize cash and sponsorship {dollars} — there are vital fights all around the grid.

One is the scrap between Visa Money App RB F1 Workforce and Haas for sixth within the Constructors’ Championship. When the grid arrived in Austin for final week’s United States Grand Prix, VCARB held a three-point benefit in that combat.

However because of double factors within the F1 Dash Race in Austin, and an eighth-place end from Nico Hülkenberg within the Grand Prix, Haas has pulled forward on this battle, main VCARB by two factors in the mean time:

On the FIA Press Convention Friday in Austin group boss Laurent Mekies mentioned each Haas and Williams are quicker than them in the mean time, which might make holding on to sixth a troublesome proposition.

“, it’s important to give credit score to Haas and Williams. I believe they’re quicker than us proper now, each of them. I believe it’s a product of the difficulties in our automobile improvement that we hit in the course of the season. So it took us a while to digest that, to grasp, finally to start out fixing it,” mentioned Mekies to the media, together with SB Nation, in Austin. “So I believe in the mean time, going into Austin, we’re slower than these guys, so we’re defending our positions.

“Now, it’s fairly spectacular the variety of updates that just about the entire grid delivered to Austin, so it’s a bit like a brand new six-races shootout for all of us. So, you already know, we don’t suppose we are able to defend the P6 if we stick with a automobile that’s slower than them for the six races, so hopefully with the upgrades we now have right here and a few extra tweaks coming, we hope it’s going to give us sufficient uncooked tempo to present it combat.”

That combat continues this week in Mexico.

The battle for eighth between Williams and Alpine

Then there may be the rising battle for eighth within the F1 Constructors’ Championship between Williams and Alpine.

Williams has rocketed forward of Alpine in that combat in current weeks, thanks largely to a double-points lead to Azerbaijan:

However Alpine appeared to take a step ahead, no less than by way of one-lap tempo, in Austin. Pierre Gasly delivered the group’s greatest qualifying efficiency of the season at the US Grand Prix, storming into Q3 and qualifying seventh. However past the mere truth he superior to the third section of qualifying, is how he did it, as Gasly was topping the timing sheets at varied moments in each Q1 and Q2.

Williams may need the momentum, however Alpine may need discovered a solution with their current set of upgrades. This combat will probably be fascinating to look at.