Formula 1 returns this weekend with its Mexico City Grand Prix
The end of the 2025 Formula 1 season is in sight as the championship hosts the Mexican Grand Prix this weekend to kickstart the final five rounds of the year.
It comes just a week after the United States GP, which Max Verstappen dominated from pole after the Red Bull driver also won the sprint contest to continue his fine run of form.
Talk has been non-stop ever since over if the four-time world champion is in the title fight, or if it is still being fought by the McLaren pair of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
That is one of many things to keep an eye on this weekend, so here are five things to look out for at the Mexico Grand Prix.
Will Verstappen continue his title charge?
McLaren had dominated the 2025 campaign so much that it seemed the drivers’ title battle was only between Piastri and Norris who, between them, won 12 of the opening 15 grands prix. Talks had even been held internally about how to celebrate the eventual champion to avoid any dramas with the runner-up.
But McLaren claiming a double championship - having already won the constructors’ title - is no longer a foregone conclusion thanks to the incredible form of Verstappen. It started at the Italian Grand Prix, where Red Bull brought a series of upgrades including a new floor, and suddenly the Austrian outfit had a car that was capable of challenging McLaren on all tracks.
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Across the next four weekends, Verstappen cut his 104-point deficit to championship leader Piastri to just 40 and is 26 behind Norris. It is well documented what Verstappen can do with the best car - 19 wins in 2023, for example - and that is something he has right now, which should continue into Mexico.
The high altitude of Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is defined by its thin air, which negates the effect of bigger wings and is a reason Red Bull typically thrives in Mexico. Its car also enjoys stable downforce at the higher ride heights that are required to protect the planks from Mexico’s bumpy track, and fast corners aren’t where McLaren is at its best.
So not only is Verstappen claiming a fifth, consecutive title a genuine possibility, but his recent form can also serve as a test to the McLaren pair to judge their mettle. Both are fighting for their maiden crown and Piastri, in particular, needs a huge result to stop any momentum from his challengers.
Will Red Bull announce its 2026 driver line-up?
Verstappen may be loving life right now, but his team-mate Yuki Tsunoda certainly isn’t. Well, in fact, any team-mate of the Dutchman has found it tough in recent years. Liam Lawson started the season in that role, having replaced the struggling Sergio Perez, but the 23-year-old only lasted two rounds after not scoring a point.
So, Tsunoda was given the promotion from sister outfit Racing Bulls for round three, Japan, onwards but has faced similar struggles. The Japanese driver scored just 25 points for Red Bull leaving him 16th in the championship and not yet signed for next year.
He isn’t expected to be signed either, with Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar set for the promotion after a solid campaign that included a podium at Zandvoort. With Hadjar moving up, Red Bull junior Arvid Lindblad is expected to join Racing Bulls after his season in F2.
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Red Bull management had previously stated that it aims to announce its driver line-ups across both teams by the end of October, meaning it could be confirmed this weekend. The only real question is who will be Lindblad’s team-mate? It is likely to be either Lawson or Tsunoda with the former being the favourite given he is a couple of years younger than the Red Bull driver and what good would a demotion to Racing Bulls serve for the 25-year-old?
Tsunoda is in a fight to save his F1 career, so will that result in a points-scoring Mexico weekend? Only time will tell.
Is Ferrari’s pace genuine?
Ferrari has been one of the most underwhelming teams in 2025 given it was expected to launch a title fight against McLaren. That comes after the pair was left fighting for last year’s constructors’ championship at the Abu Dhabi finale, but while McLaren took the next step - Ferrari regressed.
The Scuderia is third in the championship, 344 points behind McLaren and yet to even win a grand prix. Austin, however, marked vast improvement for the team as Charles Leclerc finished third with Lewis Hamilton in fourth - marking its highest points tally from a grand prix since Austria in June.
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Granted, a good reason behind Leclerc’s podium was his offset strategy by taking softs at lights out, but even when he was on the medium rubber he displayed solid pace against soft-runner Norris in the fight for second. Hamilton, as well, showed promise by holding off Piastri and this weekend will serve as a good test for Ferrari to see if its Austin weekend was a one-off or if it can actually fight at the front consistently.
Ferrari finished 1-3 in Mexico last year, but since chasing lower ride heights for the SF-25, it has often struggled on bumpy tracks in 2025. Just look at Singapore, where it finished fifth and sixth and was well behind Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren.
All is not well at Alpine as Colapinto fights for his future
This has not been the season that anybody at Alpine was hoping for as the French outfit is bottom of the championship. It is therefore on course for its worst finish since the brand took over from Renault in 2021 and also the worst finish for the Enstone-based team since Renault came ninth in 2016.
Austin was an example of how dire things are given Alpine not only finished 17th and 19th, but its drivers also had a battle in spite of the instructions of the team. Franco Colapinto was being chased by Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto in the final laps while also closing in on team-mate Pierre Gasly.
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Despite Alpine telling Colapinto to hold position in 18th, the Argentine overtook Gasly who also then dropped behind Bortoleto into 19th. Alpine director Steve Nielsen called it “disappointing” and in the team’s Mexico preview, Colapinto revealed the matter had been “discussed internally” and that “instructions by the team must always be followed”.
It seems like he has been reprimanded for the incident, so it will be interesting to see how Colapinto fares this weekend - particularly as he is fighting for his 2026 spot. The 22-year-old has not scored a point since replacing Jack Doohan for round seven, Imola, and it is unclear if Alpine will stick with him or look for a new driver to partner Gasly next season.
What is clear is that Colapinto’s performances need to improve and there is no time like the present, so what better way to bounce back from Austin than by giving Alpine its first points finish since Belgium in July?
At least nine rookies contesting FP1 in Mexico
F1 rules mandate that each season a car must give at least two practice outings to a driver with no more than two grand prix starts. Alex Dunne, for example, replaced Norris for Austria FP1 as did Dino Beganovic instead of Leclerc.
They were the only two youngsters in that session, whereas this weekend FP1 will have at least nine of them. Pato O'Ward is replacing 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.
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It was a similar situation last year when four rookies partook, showing Mexico as an ideal place for a full-time racer to skip the opening session. This is because it is a well-known circuit, a place where teams have lots of data and the track is often dusty in FP1 meaning it is an unrepresentative session. It is also not a sprint weekend, and many teams are no longer fitting upgrades ahead of next year’s rule change.
So FP1 may be more interesting than usual given the many new faces, who may use it as an opportunity to show why they should be an F1 driver. Dunne, for example, put himself on people’s radar after finishing fourth in Austria, while Friday can also serve as preparation for somebody like Lindblad ahead of his expected promotion.
- Ed Hardy
