Not too long ago a Formula 1 season would have run its course by this point of the year. Several years ago, the final race on the calendar would just sneak into the month of November and a couple of year before that it ended even earlier in October. But in 2021 the racing is far from over with five more races to go, including this weekend’s Mexican grand prix.

The stunning venue of Mexico City, and the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, has been a welcome stop on the F1 calendar since 2015.  Previously, the circuit had hosted F1 as the season finale in the early 60s. Situated in one of the world’s most vibrant cities the circuit stands out for its positioning nearly 2 kilometers above sea level and for the end of the lap, which is situated within the raucous Foro Sol stadium section.

All drivers are likely to have their supporters amongst the crowd but the majority of the boisterous and colourful Mexican crowd will be cheering on Checo Perez. He arrives at his home race this year with his best opportunity of being on the podium, if not winning. It has been a difficult year of adjusting to the demands of the Red Bull car for the popular Mexican driver but there have been some moments and performances that have validated his re-signing, by Red Bull, for 2022. Not least of all his defense against Lewis Hamilton just two weeks ago in Texas while in a severely compromised physical state. And if ever there has been a moment for Checo to shine in 2021 this race, in his beloved Mexico, would be it.

Due to its positioning high above sea level the Mexican track has, since its return, always been one that has suited the Red Bull package. At exactly 2285 meters above sea level the lower concentration of oxygen has a big impact not only on power unit performance but also on the aerodynamics of the car as the thinner air provides less downforce.

The 4.3 km circuit too has a few overtaking opportunities available to drivers. The 1.2 kilometer run to turn 1 on the first lap is nearly always dramatic as the slipstream allows for a lot of overtaking. A shortish sequence of corners follows the long strait and promotes wheel-to-wheel racing before opening up into a second, longish, strait.

F1 last visited Mexico in 2019 and Hamilton and Verstappen were in vastly different places two years ago. Hamilton’s 2019 win from then-Ferrari driver Seb Vettel took him a decisive step closer to his seventh title while Verstappen finished sixth after a first-lap clash with Hamilton and another clash, a few laps later with Valtteri Bottas. And that, after he had been stripped of pole position for ignoring yellow flags in qualifying. But Verstappen arrives this weekend a far different driver. Aside from turning Red Bull’s nigh-impossible strategy into race-winning gold in Texas there is an inherent calmness about Verstappen’s demeanour. Not much appears to faze him and he has been able to maintain an incredibly high level of performance throughout the entire year. Barring accident or reliability, there is nothing to suggest that fans are not going to be treated to yet another breathtaking showdown between Verstappen and Hamilton.

There’s no doubt that Hamilton and Mercedes will be pushing as hard as they can to win this weekend. And they need to. Because if Verstappen walks away from Mexico with another win under his belt the writing might just be on the wall for the reigning world champions