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US GP Recap, Mexico GP Preview
PLP Season 2 Edition 43
Race Weekend
Ya know on second thought I’m wonder if this week’s subject line is a closer translation to “speed party”, which kinda sounds like something some teenagers would get into if they were making bad choices. But you get what I was going for right? Fast cars, party atmosphere, Mexico City. Anyway.
Annual reminder that the Mariachi version of the F1 theme song absolutely slaps, as the niños say. Is that Zhou’s cat playing the guitar in the video?
Schedule for this weekend in EDT:
FP1: Friday, Oct 25th @ 2:30pm
FP2: Friday, Oct 25th @ 6:00pm
FP3: Saturday, Oct 26th @ 1:30pm
Quali: Saturday, Oct 26th @ 5:00pm
Grand Prix: Sunday, Oct 27th @ 4:00pm
Quick Quiz!
Max increased his WDC last weekend in Austin. What do you think the most likely result is at season's end? |
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US GP Recap
Sprint
🥇 VER - 🥈 SAI - 🥉 NOR
DNF: None
Short memories we must all have upon seeing Max finally get another W this season and think, huh, been awhile eh? Red Bull worked out some of there issues over the break, and Max did what he’s been known to do and pulled out a tight quali lap to get the Sprint pole. Lewis looked to be primed to take it before double yellows made him abort, which turned out to be some foreshadowing for his weekend.
The best wheel to wheel action was between the two Ferraris who both looked quick (more foreshadowing) as Carlos put in a spicy effort, fighting his teammate early in the race and overtaking him on lap 5. He chased George down on lap 9, and got by a locked up Lando on the last lap of the race, securing his first P2 of the weekend. The papaya then proceeded to brake check Leclerc, stopping his bid to sneak onto the podium.
The biggest drama was Alonso getting BIG MAD at the so called “idiot Alpha Tauri” of Liam Lawson. The rookie put in a hard fight against the grizzled vet, but clearly Fernando didn’t think it was fair. The pair could be seen arguing after the race, with the old head telling the young buck he was “going to screw him.” Not sure how I’d interpret that if I was Liam… Alonso did make an aggressive move on him in the GP quali, so let’s see this weekend if the dust has settled here.
Grand Prix
🥇 LEC - 🥈 SAI - 🥉 VER
DNF: HAM
Fastest Lap: OCO
DoTD: LEC
Forza Ferrari! What a day if you’re a Scuderia fan. The Charles - Carlos 1-2 finish (hereby dubbed the “Charlos” by daughter) was perhaps a bit surprising given nearly every other team brought upgrades while Ferrari did not. But they had a quiet confidence, knowing that Austin was suited to their car and both drivers put in stellar drives to take home big points for the WCC fight - sealing the first Ferrari 1-2 finish in the U.S. in 18 years.
Max covered off Lando’s start from pole (because of course he did) but went a bit too wide, opening the door for Charles to scoot right on through from P4 to race leader on turn 1. This was a huge start obviously, but even if he didn’t make that overtake my money would have been on a Ferrari still winning the race.
Hamilton had a monster start, moving up from P18 up to P12, before his troublesome Mercedes caused him to lose control and spin into the gravel on lap 3 and giving us our first safety car in four months. The big battle of this race was between the top two title contenders - as Max and Lando traded blows lap after lap in the latter stages. Max put up a stellar defense, culminating with Lando going around the outside of the Red Bull on lap 52 as they both ran wide off the track. Lando would ultimately be dinged with a 5s penalty for the infraction, dropping him off the podium. If he gave the place back, good chance he could have passed him again. This was a tough call, and many internet people had strong opinions about who deserved the penalty here.
The rookies shined in this race, with Lawson taking P9 after a P19 start and Franco Colapinto snagging the P10 point after a P15 start. George put in a stellar recovery drive, finishing P6 from a pit lane start, even finishing ahead of Checo who started P9. The Haas’ drove well and nearly took double points - but a poor strategy call on K-Mag’s side of the garage left him P11.
A great kick off to our triple header. So far we’re still in unpredictable territory in terms of who will be strongest each weekend. But expect McLaren to bounce back in Mexico, which should be more suitable to their car.
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Mexico City GP Preview
The air may be thin but the support for the hometown hero will be thick as Sergio Perez looks to shake off the demons from a disastrous 2023 outing that saw him DNF due to an aggressive turn 1 maneuver. This is the one. Prediction: Checo podium this weekend, but unfortunately it won’t be enough to keep his job and he’ll be replaced by Liam Lawson for 2025.
We’ll see some some high top speeds at 7,300 feet above sea level on the long straights, combining fast corners with some tight, technical ones - the best being turns 13/14/15 passing through an old baseball stadium. Where the atmosphere is 100x better for F1 than any baseball game 😁. The actual atmosphere (the air) makes a big difference in downforce and cooling. Cars will be sliding more often, with a greater risk of engine and brake overheating. Expect high track evolution and a smaller advantage from slip streaming. Pirelli is bringing the softest tire compounds, with overall tire degradation being relatively low.
Jolyon Palmer with the details: “The big braking zones are tricky in the first half of the lap and it is always loose through the middle sector thanks to the aforementioned low downforce. You've got to work out how much kerb you can take early on, take too much and it can really unsettle the car. The last sector is fiddly and it feels ridiculously slow through the stadium. The penultimate right-hander feels like it might be nothing, but it is arguably the easiest to crash on with low grip and the wall so close.”
Haven’t seen this in a while: Max, Lando, and Charles are tied at the top of the odds tables as favorites to win the race. Max took a good step, and this does seem to be shaping up for a potential runaway Lando win. Of course I’m hoping that Charles becomes the third driver this DECADE to win back to back races not named Verstappen or Hamilton. Kimi Antonelli, Ollie Bearman, Pato O’Ward, Felipe Drugovich, and Robert Shwartzman will drive in FP1, while the rookies currently with seats in Lawson and Colapinto look to continue their impressive streaks. Also don’t forget about the midfield battle - Haas is clear of VCARB by 2 points, while Williams hopes to keep Alpine at bay.
Down the Grid
🥇Max Verstappen [354]: Had no sympathy for Lando’s penalty that bumped him from the last podium spot. “I mean, they complain about a lot lately anyway, but it’s very clear in the rules. Outside the white line, you cannot pass. I’ve been done for it as well in the past. But overall I still really enjoyed that battle that we had.”
🥈Lando Norris [297]: Didn’t give position back to Max since he thought he was in the right and was pushed off track. “I still think we were, considering Max went off the track – normally if you defend your position and you go off the track, you have to give the position up. Max drove well, it was a fun race between us, a good battle. He defended well, he did everything he had to do.”
🥉Charles Leclerc [275]: On his move from P4 into P1 at turn 1, he anticipated the opportunity: “I kind of knew that max would go flat out into turn 1..he's a driver that I know very very well.” With a strong weekend, he says the team is “still targeting the title.” Constructors’ that is.. it would take a couple DNFs and more wins from Charles for the WDC. A long shot, but not mathematically impossible…
4️⃣ Oscar Piastri [247]: Took team orders to slow down after Lando’s penalty, so his championship chasing teammate wouldn’t not drop another position from his 5s penalty and give up more points to Max. Latest rumor: His manager Mark Webber is gauging Red Bull’s interest in his client..
5️⃣ Carlos Sainz [215]: In what was a very strong weekend for him personally, he was “incredibly happy for the team” and for Charles. On not quite being able to put pressure on him teammate at the end of the GP he said: “Unfortunately, we got a bit blocked at the start, then we had a couple of issues during the first stint with the power unit. I just lost too much time at the beginning.”
6️⃣ Lewis Hamilton [177]: A great start saw him move from P17 to P12, only for it to come crashing down on lap 3: “It was only the second lap, so I’m not flat out, not pushing particularly – just trying to manage the tires. The car started bouncing on the way in and then it just lost all load of the rear and just went around on me.” George had a similar crash out in Quali. Merc couldn’t seem to nail the set up all weekend, even with Lewis nearly taking Sprint pole if it weren’t for yellow flags.
7️⃣ George Russell [167]: Left puzzled by the team’s car issue in Austin, saying it’s “the beast we’re dealing with right now.” Even so, his recovery drive from a pit lane start to finishing P6 ahead of Checo was quite impressive.
8️⃣ Sergio Perez [150]: Currently on a 14 race podium-less streak, knows he needs a big weekend at his home GP to stop the speculation: “If I get a strong result, it can definitely change my season massively in terms of personal feeling.”
9️⃣ Fernando Alonso [62]: Thinks it will be an “uphill battle” to score points. “I think we outperformed the car’s natural position in qualifying and we knew it would be an uphill battle to stay inside the top 10.” Check out his special helmet for his 400th GP this weekend.
🔟Nico Hulkenberg [29]: A long opening stint helped him finish P8 from a P11 start, says he “maximized” his race in Austin.
11. Lance Stroll [24]: Struggled to keep his tires up to temp during the safety car and struggled on the restart. Lance also now holds the record for most race starts without recording the fastest lap. He’s got 5 more chances before they no longer award a point for it next year.
12. Yuki Tsunoda [22]: Honda is pushing for the driver to get a Red Bull run, targeting a potential tire test at the end of the season. Lawson’s strong performance in Austin has his name at the top of the Red Bull list. I fear Yuki will once again be overlooked here (not a short pun).
13. Alex Albon [12]: “Leaning more towards” Colapinto’s set up for Mexico due to his struggles in low speed corners.
14. Daniel Ricciardo [12]: Was spotted a hat last week that said: “I’m retired. Having a good time is my job.” He’s always been good at that job.
15. Kevin Magnussen 📈 [8]: Frustrated by “messy” strategy calls that saw him pit early in anticipation of a two stop race, and lost time in traffic to rivals who only pitted once.
16. Pierre Gasly 📉 [8]: Had a strong quali for a P6 grid start in the GP, but only went backwards after reacting to a pit from Magnussen: “We had a slow stop, ended up in the traffic, couldn’t switch on the hard tires and were just way to slow with the hard compared to the medium.” Even the best drivers in the world have to deal with traffic. They’re just like us!
17. Ollie Bearman 📉 [7]: Did you know Ollie is 6’1’’? That ties for tallest on the grid with Ocon and Albon. Albon a sneaky 6’1’’ right? You don’t really expect it. This has been Olliefacts™️.
18. Franco Colapinto 📈 [5]: Had the quote of the weekend regarding Ocon taking fastest lap from him towards the end of the race: “The Frenchman took the fastest lap off me. It’s a shame. Why did they pit there, it wastes tires. Take care of the planet.” Bold prediction I saw on the internet - Franco finishes with more points than Alex, putting Williams in a pickle.
19. Esteban Ocon 📉 [5]: His race was compromised after getting spun in turn 1, but was able to steal a point from Williams with the fastest lap at the end. On getting upgrades this weekend: “Until I have it on the car I will not let myself dream."
20. Liam Lawson 📈 [2]: Christian Horner had high praise for the rookie on his first race back: "I think if you're getting into a spat and getting your elbows out with Fernando on your first race back in, you're doing alright…I think that he drove an exceptional race today from 19th to ninth. He was fast, he was courageous and I thought it was an excellent comeback for him."
21. Zhou Guanyu 📉 [0]: It’s a longshot, but he’s holing out hope for the last Sauber seat: “Everything is in the hands of Mattia who is here this weekend, making further talks with my management team.”
22. Logan Sargeant 📉 [0]: Picturing him in a fake mustache trying to sneak into the Williams garage to relive the race in Austin last year where he scored his lone point.
23. Valtteri Bottas 📉 [0]: Thinks the team “took a step” in race pace, but admits they “need more.” Hoping for more because we don’t want VB to finish 23rd in a 20 driver championship. It ain’t right!
Constructor’s Corner
🥇McLaren [544]: TP Stella was not happy with Lando’s penalty: “The stewards interfered with a beautiful piece of motorsport was inappropriate because both cars went off track so both cars gained an advantage. It’s a shame because it cost us a podium, it cost us a race where we stayed patient after we were pushed off in the first lap, the first corner.” Motorsport… “the beautiful game.”
🥈Red Bull [504]: No surprise that Christian Horner sees the Lando/Max penalty situation a bit differently: “For us, it was crystal clear that the pass had been made off the track. Norris should have given the place back. He chose not to, so therefore there was a penalty. For us, it was very much a black and white scenario.” Motorsport… “the black and white game.”
🥉Ferrari [496]: TP Vasseur is taking things day by day: “We’re not thinking about the championship and I want to keep the team in this mood because I think it’s important to be focused on pure performance, session after session, and not to have somewhere in your mind the championship.”
4️⃣ Mercedes [344]: Toto Wolff says Lewis’ spin in the race and George’s crash in quali were issues with the car, not the driver. “We’ve seen it [in qualifying] with George, and that was maybe over pushing it, but still abruptly losing it, putting it in the wall. We have definitely have an issue. I don’t know whether it was yesterday the same as today. Definitely Lewis Hamilton doesn’t lose the car like this.”
5️⃣ Aston Martin [86]: TP Krack on a tough weekend: “It is really disappointing to come away from the weekend without any points. The midfield is incredibly tight and we were on the wrong side of the competition. We just didn't have any pace all weekend.”
6️⃣ Haas 📈 [38]: Although the weekend was successful with double points in the Sprint and Hulk scoring points in the race, TP Komatsu thinks they left some on the table with Magnussen after pointing to messy communication on pit stop strategy: ““I feel that we should’ve scored points with both cars today, although Kevin may have struggled to hang on top P10, at least he would’ve had a chance.”
7️⃣ VCARB 📉 [36]: TP Mekies wasn’t happy with how the Ricciardo decision was handled: “We should have done a better job.” Regarding the outpouring of support he received: “We felt the fans found a way, and we all love Daniel, and he has proven there that he is bigger than Formula 1.”
8️⃣ Williams [17]: TP Vowles on his rookie philosophy: “In my DNA and Williams's DNA is investing in future generations, both within graduates for employing and early careers but also in drivers.”
9️⃣ Alpine [13]: TP Oakes opens up on the decision to stop their engine program: “It wasn’t an easy decision. I’m pretty sure we’ll have some news before the end of the year to share with everybody.”
🔟Kick Sauber [0]: An exhaustive list of all the driver options their considering: Bottas, Bortoleto, Colapinto, Schumacher, Guanyu, Pourchaire. Maybe just give them four races each and see who’s the best at this point.
Tech Talk
Red Bull Upgrade: New sidepods, contoured coke bottle section, and floor edge helped the team shake off some of the issues that had been plaguing them since Max’s last win in Spain - propelling him to the Sprint race victory.
The SF-24 is Now Solid: With Ferrari correcting their bouncing issue, the engineers now have a stable base on which the can tweak set ups.
Ride Height Fix: How the 2026 regulations will solve the ride height conundrum faced by engineers by not relying on downforce generation from ground effects as heavily as today’s generation of cars.
Off the Grid
Where’s the Trophy? The original US GP trophies were pulled last minute due to “potential similarities with other designs.” Now where have I see those two ears before… Turns out it was actually a brand called Bearbrick that had similar collectables. So do they own the whole idea of a bear now? Seems silly.
Substitute Trophy: Watch Carlos’ dropped replacement tire trophy bounce all over the podium. At least is wasn’t breakable (cough Lando in Hungry 2023 cough).
More G’s Please: F1 isn’t enough for the now 8-time race winner Charles Leclerc, who recently took a ride in a fighter jet.
Quick Question (My answer)
Leclerc will surge - but Max just doesn’t make mistakes. I think a DNF or two is unlikely, so Max will hold on. But I think Charles takes P2 in the WDC and Ferrari wins the WCC.
Back at it again this weekend. After a hiatus that lasted since Spain, it took Mercedes completely botching their car set up for us to get a visit from Bernd again.
📸 @ScrederiaF1 on X
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