Fresh from the American Grand Prix two weeks ago, F1 shifts to South America for the Mexican Grand Prix where valuable points are up for grabs once again.
Max Verstappen continues to lead the pack in the drivers’ standings with a 12-point edge over rival Lewis Hamilton. Meanwhile in the constructor standings, Mercedes are holding a 23-point advantage over Red Bull.
The Dutch driver caught everyone by surprise when he took pole and won in Austin, Texas – which is traditionally known as a Mercedes stronghold. And now that the fortunes are reversed in his favour, this is his chance to extend his lead even further.
The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is known as a Red Bull track given their success in recent years as they’ve won there twice in the last five seasons.
With another exciting race on the horizon, allow SBOTOP to get you up to speed with our latest serving of the Mexican Grand Prix 2021 updates.
Will Max Verstappen finally pull away for good?
The back-and-forth between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton continues to gain steam. But as of the moment, the Dutch has the better recent form heading into this weekend.
In FP1, Valtteri Bottas secured a one-two alongside teammate Lewis Hamilton, but Max Verstappen quickly answered back by topping the charts in FP2.
With Lewis Hamilton not finishing first in the first two practices, the British driver admitted that his work will be cut out for him in trying to make a comeback.
“We’re giving it absolutely everything we’ve got and I think they are just quicker than us at the moment,” said Hamilton last Friday.
“They definitely seem quicker and they have really strong pace on the strong tyre. So yes we need to find a bit of time if we want to be in the fight for the pole,” he added.
Compared to before when Lewis Hamilton is almost always the favourite, this time around the odds are stacked against him. Next up after the Mexican Grand Prix is the Brazilian Grand Prix where it is also considered a Red Bull track.
But if there’s anything we’ve learned so far this season, it is that anything can happen. Mexico might very well be the defining moment between these two world-class drivers.
Sergio Perez’s much-awaited homecoming
Max Verstappen is not the only driver who will have our focus this weekend as his teammate Sergio Perez will also take the spotlight.
Sergio Perez is undoubtedly a popular figure in Mexico and the 31-year-old would want to make his countrymen proud with a victory here.
On his last visit at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Checo wasn’t able to win at all. But now with a car that could legitimately challenge for a victory, his chances are obviously much better.
Since he’s driving behind Max Verstappen, many were wondering if whether he’d be willing to cede to help his Dutch teammate in the title race. However, Checo appeared non-committal about it.
“It’ll be a great problem to have from my side. I think that depending on the circumstances, we’ll see. But I’m pretty sure the whole team wants me to win this weekend,” said Perez.
“It’s a very special venue for us. If there’s a race they want me to win, it’s this one. I really hope I can put a great Saturday together,” he added.
History
The first-ever Mexican Grand Prix dates back to 1962 when it was still considered as a non-championship event. But after a successful inaugural race, the F1 committee decided to make it as a staple.
After separate stints in 1963-1970 and 1986-1992, the Mexican Grand Prix was removed from the F1 calendar. However, it made its return back in 2015 where Mercedes and Red Bulls have shared wins.
The late Jim Clark holds the most wins there with three while Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have two each alongside Alain Prost and Nigel Mansell.
The 2020 edition of this race was initially scheduled on November that year, but it was cancelled due to travel restrictions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
What are the odds?
Since this is a Red Bull track, Max Verstappen is going to be the favourite to win according to the latest Mexican Grand Prix 2021 odds.
Max Verstappen is priced at 1.55 to get the pole position and 1.86 to win the race while Lewis Hamilton is not far behind at 2.23.
Meanwhile, Valtteri Bottas appears to be a viable choice for the final podium spot at 2.89 especially following his solid outing during FP1.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FORMULA 1 STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
