UK: 18+ USA: 21+ | Begambleaware.org | T&Cs apply | Play Responsibly
F1 continues its tour around North America, heading over to Mexico for this weekend’s race. Check out the top F1 predictions for the Mexican Grand Prix.
Contents
Latest F1 predictions: What will happen at this weekend’s race?
Austin provided us with some entertaining action on track, with Max Verstappen driving through the field from sixth on the grid, and then nursing a brake problem to hold off Lewis Hamilton for the win. After the race, both Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were disqualified for excessive plank wear.
Ferrari once again showed its strong single lap pace, while Mercedes had an encouraging performance on Sunday. But Verstappen is still uncatachable at the front of the pack. And the Dutchman will have some added incentives this weekend. A win would be enough for the Dutchman to break his own record for the most victories in a season, and would also break Michael Schumacher’s 19-year old record for the highest winning percentage.
Verstappen is a four-time winner in Mexico, which makes him the most successful driver in the history of the race. He has won four of the last five in Mexico City, including back-to-back wins in 2021 and 2022.
Mexican GP overview
There are a few exciting things that we need to watch out for in the upcoming Mexican GP…
Will Max Verstappen score a historic 16th win in 2023? No driver has ever won more than 15 races in a season. Verstappen will have a chance to do one better than his own record. A 16th win would also guarantee a win rate of at least 72.73% for the Dutchman, enough to break Schumacher’s record of 72.22% set in 2004. Which team will be the second force in Mexico? Last time around, Mercedes and McLaren looked like Red Bull’s closest contenders. But Mexico City’s altitude, combined with a slower layout, could mix up the order again.
F1 latest qualifying results
Charles Leclerc scored a shock pole position in Mexico. Despite being a good way away from the top spot in free practice, Ferrari found some unexpected pace in Q3. Leclerc beat teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. to the top spot by a mere 0.067s, with Max Verstappen in third and less than a full tenth away.
Mexican Grand Prix qualifying recap
There were signs that qualifying was set to play out just like the previous three practice sessions. Verstappen, who had led all three FPs, easily led the way in Q1. Lando Norris, one of the likely contenders for pole position, was eliminated in the first segment. Struggling with an unspecified problem, the McLaren driver only had enough time to set one lap, which was only good enough for 18th.
In Q2, Verstappen only needed to set his benchmark to advance. Mercedes, which chose to go for a second attempt later in the session, was the first team to demote the 2023 champion from the top spot all weekend. Lewis Hamilton led the way by less than a tenth.
The situation changed dramatically in Q3. With the clouds covering the sun for a few minutes, the track cooled off for the first run. It proved to be the deciding factor. Sainz pipped Verstappen, but was then demoted by his Ferrari teammate Leclerc.
The sun came out again for the final run. Leclerc and Sainz failed to improve on their previous attempts, but Verstappen’s flyer was only 0.023s faster than his previous best – not enough to demote the Ferraris from the front row.
F1 predictions for this weekend’s Grand Prix
Race prediction #1: Over 2.5 leaders @ 10/11 (1.91)
With Verstappen starting down in third, this race will end up with at least two leaders. But the Mexico Grand Prix could potentially turn into a two-stopper, much like last weekend’s race in Austin. If that happens, we could see a few more drivers take turns at the front. Last race had four different leaders between Lando Norris, Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, and Lewis Hamilton. It would be fair to expect something similar, as teams could try to play with overcuts and undercuts.
Race prediction #2: Safety car: Yes @ 4/7 (1.57)
To put it simply, Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is a safety car magnet. With slow corners that can easily trigger spins, short runoff areas, a tight final sector that resembles a street circuit, with walls dangerously close to the track, and the potential of mechanical failures as a result of a lack of cooling in the altitude, a lot of things can go wrong at the Mexican track. It’s no surprise that all seven races since F1’s return to Mexico had at least one SC intervention.
Race prediction #3: Under 17.5 finishers @ 5/4 (2.25)
Mexico City can be brutal on F1 cars. Even with a much better reliability these days compared to the early years of the hybrid V6 era, this is probably going to be one of the most demanding races of the season on the equipment. As mentioned above, the altitude has a negative effect in the cooling of brake and engine components. Combined with the high risk of crashes around the tight corners of the Hermanos Rodriguez circuit, this Grand Prix could end up with a fair share of retirements.
Your Expert Guide To F1 Predictions
F1 Betting Tips
To get started with betting on Formula One, it’s important to first understand what tools are available to you. You will also need a deeper understanding of the sport than the normal spectator. If you have the right knowledge, you’ll be able to identify the best bets and make accurate predictions. Here are some of our top tips for getting started with F1 betting.
Use F1 Stats
Stats are as important in Formula One as they are in any other sport. Even the smallest details can be pivotal if you want to beat the bookies. 4mula1 Stats and StatsF1.com are two excellent stats sites to use to stay on top of the numbers and implement a data-driven strategy for your betting.
Understand the history of F1 drivers
Knowing how F1 drivers have performed in certain weather conditions, on specific tracks, and in other circumstances can help you make accurate F1 predictions and informed betting decisions.
Get to know the engines
Just like drivers perform differently depending on the track, so do the car engines. Learn how your favoured cars perform on straight, curved, wet, or dry tracks. This can be tricky at the start of the season, as new car models and updates are released every year. However, by the middle of the season, you should have collected enough data to make an informed bet.
Stay informed
You can find different previews on different sites. It’s best to research as much as you can, even if you read information that doesn’t seem related – like about the drivers’ private lives. This can affect F1 predictions, even if it doesn’t seem so on the surface.
Keep an eye on the weather
Weather can make or break a race. Unexpected rain, humidity and temperatures can cause chaos and drama on the track. So keeping an eye on weather forecasts can again help with making an informed bet and accurate F1 predictions.
Watch the qualifying sessions
The qualifying sessions determine the grid position of the race. Whoever has the fastest time in a qualifying session starts in P1 in the race. This can of course monumentally impact the outcome of the race, so it’s important to stay updated on the results of the qualifying sessions to make accurate F1 predictions.
Formula 1 Tournament Structure
The Formula 1 2022 season will feature 23 races, each with 20 drivers competing. These 20 drivers represent the ten teams, so each team has two drivers. While this might seem like there’s one less rival for each driver, there’s competition even within teams. Drivers have to prove that they deserve to take one of the two coveted spots in their team.
As a driver, the main goal of the F1 season is to finish with the most points, but how does this work?
How are points awarded in F1?
Scoring in Formula One may appear complicated at first, but it is actually quite simple.
The top ten starting drivers will earn points out of the 20 total. Number ten gets one point, number nine gets two points, eight gets four, seven gets six, six gets eight, five gets ten, four gets twelve, third gets 15, second gets 18, and lastly, first place gets 25 points.
At the end of the season, the points are tallied, and the driver with the most points wins the trophy and the Drivers’ Champion. The team with the most points wins the Constructors’ Championship.
What is DRS in F1?
DRS can make or break the race for drivers and adds a very entertaining twist to what would otherwise be a typical race. DRS stands for Drag Reduction System, and you should understand what this means before watching Formula One.
Each car has a retractable rear wing that is normally closed. In some cases, this can be left open, allowing air to flow through and reducing drag on the car. This is great for overtaking because it increases the car’s speed. But it can only be used if the driver is chasing a car, and is no more than 1 second behind him.
Only the driver who is behind can use his DRS. The two drivers also have to be within a DRS zone. The stewards have already marked out a DRS zone, which is long and straight. Every race typically has between one and three DRS zones.
How do F1 tyres work?
During the racing season, each team has access to a total of seven tyre compounds. Five of these compounds, denoted C1 – C5, are for dry weather (C1 being the hardest and C5 being the softest). The remaining two compounds are for driving in wet conditions. The one with the green stripe is the Intermediate tyre, and the one with the blue stripe is the Full Wet tyre.
Pirelli will select three dry types to be used during a normal, dry-weather race. During the race, each driver must use two of the three selected tyres.
Subscribe to Punditfeed on Google News for all the latest updates from the world of sports!
