Testing their mettle in Mexico

After an intense weekend in Austin, Formula 1 heads south to Mexico City for another thrilling round, writes Naman Arora.

With just 40 points separating the top three in the championship and a host of young drivers set to take to the track, fans can expect three days of non-stop action at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez as the Mexican Grand Prix gets underway tomorrow, October 24.

Here are five storylines to watch this weekend.

Title Challenge

All eyes are going to be on the Drivers’ Championship this weekend, as the question of who will take this year’s title looms heavy on the grid.

If you had asked anyone just a month ago who was most likely to bring home the title, the McLaren duo of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris would have been the most-heard answers.

But now that defending World Champion Max Verstappen has cut Piastri’s lead from over 100 points to just 40 in the past month, the title remains definitively undecided.

With the Red Bull driver reinvigorated, both Norris and Piastri will be on their toes to avoid another mishap like the one they had in Texas last weekend.

The good news for McLaren is that they need one strong weekend to alleviate the pressure building on the drivers, but Verstappen says he has to be ‘perfect’ every time to stay in the frame.

Pushing for Podium

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton is no stranger to records, but he now has one of the most unwanted ones on the grid, in his very first season with Ferrari.

The Brit has now broken the record for the longest podium drought in Ferrari history.

Having done 19 races without a podium - the longest any Ferrari driver has gone in Formula 1 history - he has surpassed Didier Pironi, who raced for the team for 18 races before finally getting his first podium for Ferrari in 1982.

Hoping to break the streak, Hamilton will be trying to live up to the lofy expectations with which he was brought to the team, as he tries to step out of the shadow of team mate Charles Leclerc - who picked up his sixth podium of the season in Austin last weekend.

It has been a tough 2025 for Ferrari so far, with no race victory to their name after such a strong end to 2024 that saw them fighting for the Teams’ Championship with McLaren.

Tsunoda ‘Tsink’ or ‘Tswim’

It’s only easy to be at Red Bull if you are Max Verstappen, and Yuki Tsunoda has gotten the ‘black swan’ treatment this season at the team.

And with his future with the team to be decided after this weekend’s Grand Prix, the pressure is on for the Japanese driver to show his mettle in Mexico.

Having that sword hanging over his head could work both ways - either pushing him to put everything into his race or pressuring him too much to focus on his track performance.

Following an impressive rookie season, Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar has been tipped to replace Tsunoda, with the French driver achieving a podium finish at Zandvoort.

However, Tsunoda has been showing great form in the last several races, but unfortunately for him, so has Verstappen, the belle of the Red Bulls.

Rookie Rush

Eyes will also be gleaning the track for hints of future stars, as almost half the full-time F1 grid will miss Friday’s opening practice at the Mexico City Grand Prix, with eight teams fielding rookies to meet the sport’s mandatory young driver rule.

Each full-time driver must give up their car for at least two FP1 sessions per season to allow newcomers, those with no more than two race starts, to gain experience.

Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes, McLaren, Williams, Haas, Alpine and Aston Martin will all make changes.

At Ferrari, Antonio Fuoco replaces Lewis Hamilton, fresh from his Le Mans victory with the Scuderia.

Red Bull’s F2 racer Arvid Lindblad will sub in for Max Verstappen, while McLaren’s Pato O’Ward gets a home run-out in place of Lando Norris.

Mercedes will hand George Russell’s car to Frederik Vesti, and Williams will give Luke Browning a turn in Carlos Sainz’s machine.

Aston Martin will debut F2 race-winner Jak Crawford, while Haas continues with Ryo Hirakawa, and Alpine slots in Paul Aron for Pierre Gasly.

The influx of rookies represents one of the biggest FP1 reshuffles in recent memory, as teams race to meet their young driver obligations before the season’s end.

Altitude with an attitude

One of the great things about a 24-race Formula 1 season is the sheer variety of venues it brings, each with its own quirks, challenges, and climates spread across 21 countries.

Some circuits, however, stand out, and Mexico City is one of the most distinctive.

Sitting more than 2,200 metres above sea level - around 1,400 metres higher than the next highest track - the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez presents a truly unique challenge.

At such an altitude, the thinner air has a major effect on both aerodynamics and engine performance.

With less air flowing over the car, even a high-downforce configuration similar to Monaco can feel more like a low-downforce setup at Monza, leaving drivers wrestling with less grip and more sliding.

Engines also struggle to draw in enough air, which can affect reliability, while cooling becomes more difficult.

Drivers often have to back off from traffic to let their cars cool down before attacking again, making race management more complex.

All of this unfolds in front of one of the most passionate and energetic crowds on the calendar, with the packed Foro Sol stadium section providing an unforgettable backdrop as drivers roar through to complete each lap.