[Official] Mexican Grand Prix 2016: Grand Prix Weekend Thread

[Born Racer]

Last year, the Autódromo Hermanos Rodriguez returned for the first time since 1992 to once again give us a Mexican Grand Prix. In its former guise, the circuit was notorious for its high altitude stressing the engines and its bumps and abrasive surface stressing the drivers.

Just like today, when the inaugural Grand Prix was staged, it was late October. The decision to build the track was triggered by the burgeoning success of Mexican Ferrari driver Ricardo Rodriguez. The circuit was placed in Magdalena Mixhuca park in the east of the capital, where the race continues to take place today. With Ferrari not attending the inaugural non-championship event in 1962, Rodriguez ran the event in a Rob Walker-run Lotus 24, but was killed when he crashed in qualifying at the daunting final corner – Peraltada.

The next year, Formula 1 arrived in Mexico City and Mexico at least gained a star in the form of Ricardo’s younger brother Pedro. On his second F1 start, he ran in the top ten. Jim Clark won the race by almost two minutes.

In 1964, Mexico City began to host the season finale and Ferrari’s John Surtees became the first world champion on two and four wheels. Richie Ginther took Honda’s first victory in 1965. Mexico held several title deciders and drew a fervent crowd. 200,000 turned out to see the F1 in 1970 and home star driver Pedro Rodriguez. Crowd control was said to be a problem. A dog got onto the track and was hit by Jackie Stewart. This was the last time the race was run until 1986.

The track was revised slightly, but the circuit offered the same type of challenge. Gerhard Berger took Benetton’s first Grand Prix win in the first year back. There were some big accidents over the years. In 1987, Nelson Piquet was first on the road, but Nigel Mansell won the race after the Grand Prix was aggregated after a big smash for Derek Warwick brought out the red flags. Mansell had been 30 seconds ahead at the time of the first stoppage. The event moved from October to May the following year and Philippe Alliot had a massive shunt in practice. In 1991, Senna also had a big one, rolling at the Peraltada in qualifying after losing it on the bumps.

In 1990, the race had moved to June and it was here that the circuit saw Alain Prost manage to charge from 13th on the grid to victory and Nigel Mansell pull off an audacious move on Gerhard Berger around the outside of the banked Peraltada, which caused BBC commentator’s Murray Walker to reach for the high decibels: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2g1yrGputA

The race in 1992 was the last one to be held until 2015 and took place in March, dominant Williams pairing Nigel Mansell and Ricardo Patrese coming first and second, with Benetton’s Michael Schumacher completing the podium.

On its return last season, Nico Rosberg was in his victory streak and led home a Mercedes 1-2 ahead of newly-crowned world drivers' champion Lewis Hamilton. This time it is Nico who is looking like the favourite to win the championship, but we know that things could swing around quickly, particularly if a DNF comes into play. Valtteri Bottas survived a crash with Kimi Räikkönen to complete the podium. Sebastian Vettel had a scrappy race, with a spin and a crash which took him out of the Grand Prix. He has not been on his best form recently, his woes compounded by Ferrari slipping back relative to their immediate opposition Red Bull.

Mexico has two home drivers this year, Sergio Pérez for Force India and Esteban Gutiérrez for Haas.

The reprofiled circuit gets rid of the left-right-left sequence that was after Turn 6, while it also sadly loses the infamous Peraltada, replaced instead by a section which winds its way around a baseball stadium. The start-finish straight is extremely long and is followed by a sharp right-hand turn, which is immediately followed by a short left and right at Turns 2 and 3. After DRS Activation on the start-finish straight, the drivers have a second bite of it between Turns 3 and 4, the original activation point serving it.

After left, right and right from Turns 4 to 6, the next stretch is now a straight before some faster and more flowing corners as we enter Sector 2 between Turns 7 and 11. After another straight and then a tighter right at Turn 12, Sector 3 consists of this final baseball stadium section, which completes the lap. This was very popular among fans last year for the proximity with which fans get close to the circuit and the podium, which overlooks this part of the track.

Constructors’ championship standings: http://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2016/team.html

Drivers’ championship standings: http://www.formula1.com/en/results.h...6/drivers.html

Mexican Grand Prix tyre selections: https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/h...e-choices.html

Circuit length: 4.304km
Number of laps: 71
Race distance: 305.354km
Dry weather tyre compounds: Supersoft, Soft and Medium
DRS Detection Zone: after Turn 14
DRS Activation Zone 1: part-way down start-finish straight
DRS Activation Zone 2: between Turns 3 and 4
Speed trap: before Turn 1

Lap Record: 1:20.521 (2015 - Nico Rosberg - Mercedes)
First Grand Prix: 1962
First World Championship Grand Prix: 1963
First World Championship Grand Prix on current layout: 2015

We could do with a few more users joining in our predictions competition, so if you fancy having a go, please look at this thread: http://tentenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=148386

[Akrapovic]

Odd track this. I find F1 here very dull, but found the WEC here amazing due to the traffic issues caused in sectors 2 and 3. I'm not sure F1 can do anything about that, other than ask for Guido Forti to return.

[stripedcat]

Great intro, BR. Hey, you should have included the 1991 race in your intro, that was pretty interesting, the Williams-Renaults had qualified 1st and 2nd with the two McLarens behind them, Patrese was on pole and lost out at the start, but he managed to fight his way back past both Senna and Mansell and take the win. It was one of his best races.

Hmmm, yeah - I sort of agree with you, Akrapovic - the current circuit hasn't provided much in the way of decent racing. Losing the famous Peraltada hasn't helped. I think that also the fact that it has lost a lot the bumps has made it less challenging.

This is one of Nico's strongest circuits. He's surely the front-runner for another win?

[S griffin]

Yeah it's a shame that they got rid of the DNA of the circuit, I don't think it's helped the racing either

[Lancsbreaker]

FP2 yesterday was interesting, with Ferrari unexpectedly strong.......are they running very low downforce?

Many people struggling to get the softer tyres to work properly....but suggestions that the weather may warm up by Sunday to render much of Friday's tyre work unrepresentative....

Looking like qualy could be interesting........

[bjohnsonsmith]

Excellent intro.

Last year's race was a very dull affair, however it was the first in a series of wins for Nico. Can he win here again and boost his championship hopes? I wonder if the Pirelli Sombreros will make a return to the podium?

[billy bleach]

If Palmer had no bad luck he would have no luck at all poor guy. His PR man looked stylish in the Sky interview chewing gum like a Football Manager!

[bjohnsonsmith]

Nico pulled that out of the bag, to take 2nd place on the grid. I thought he was going to be stuck in 4th.

Good to see Hulkenberg 5th ahead of the Ferraris.

[S griffin]

I agree, great last lap by Nico to get on the front alongside Lewis and the Hulk beating both Ferraris, who are struggling this weekend. Also well done Wehrlein getting into Q2. I hope he's back next season, he's a genuine talent

[GT6]

Any one heard if vettel got into trouble over his blocking of lewis, others have been penalised for less

[FIRE]

What an end of the race.

[peebee2]

Originally Posted by billy bleach

If Palmer had no bad luck he would have no luck at all poor guy.

Begging your pardon but not running your tub along the kerbs like that is mega basics that you learn in FR2.0 or F3

[steve_r]

Remind me why lots of people people don't like Vettel again? What a pathetic reaction.

[FIRE]

No problems with penalty for Verstappen but than you should give Hamilton also a penalty. Double standards.

And Vettel should get a penalty for moving under braking.

[Neppatsrev Xam]

Why did Max get a penalty for doing exactly the same as Lewis did on lap 1?

And why did'nt Vettel get a penalty for changing direction under braking?

[spider]

Hamilton, Max and Seb all deserved penalties - two guys out of control, the other breaking the rule he had just been pushing for clarity on due to red mist.

Rubbish race for all but the last 5 laps, but hilarious aftermath...

[marcel82]

I think Hamilton didn't get a penalty because his advantage was negated by the (v)sc, and the stewards were too busy on the other incidents.
to be fair, I think Hamilton got more of an advantage than Verstappen. But, given the same penalty, he still would've won.
Also, Vettel should've gotten a penalty for his block on Ricciardo. They added the rule since Japan, Vettel was one of the drivers who wanted it, but clearly he doesn't see it as a problem when he does it.

[Mystery]

Originally Posted by marcel82

I think Hamilton didn't get a penalty because his advantage was negated by the (v)sc

Correct I'd imagine. Extract from 27.4 of the Sporting Regs

Should a car leave the track the driver may re-join, however, this may only be done when it is safe to do so and without gaining any lasting advantage. At the absolute discretion of the race director a driver may be given the opportunity to give back the whole of any advantage he gained by leaving the track.

[NaBUru38]

The on-track graphics in the formation lap looked awesome - unlike the fake advertising billboards.

[ASCII Man]

Originally Posted by Mystery

Correct I'd imagine. Extract from 27.4 of the Sporting Regs

Should a car leave the track the driver may re-join, however, this may only be done when it is safe to do so and without gaining any lasting advantage. At the absolute discretion of the race director a driver may be given the opportunity to give back the whole of any advantage he gained by leaving the track.

He didn't give back any of the advantage he gained, he was marginally slowed down by the virtual safety car, but so was everyone else. Also the advantage he gained wasn't simply space, but to keep his position. It's pretty obvious to me that he should've gotten a penalty.

[Razzzor]

If you let Hamilton away with it, you have to let Verstappen away with it.

Vettel was clearly still 100% behind, probably a good car length behind. It's different if they're side by side but Vettel wasn't diving to the insdie anyway.

Not that it would make a difference, Hamilton simply would have opened up a 5sec gap before the pit stops.

Vettel vs Ricciardo, I just saw it as a racing incident really. Although if they're now getting tough on moving under braking then that WAS moving under braking.

Re Verstappen vs Rosberg, stewards got that right. You can't give Nico a penalty when Verstappen bashed him off the race track. Whether Nico was going to make the corner anyway isn't relevant, Max pushed him off anyway. You could say Max should get a penalty for not leaving him room, but in that case Alonso should have had a penalty at the last race for pushing a driver off track.

Re Vettel, jeez louise, he does make it hard to like him. What a pathetic little child he acted like afterwards. If the positions were reversed there's no way in hell Vettel would have given up the position, he'd have argued that the driver was behind and not alongside him.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Completely missed the whole thing, so it will be highlights. It looks like Nico can cruise it to 2nd place for the next few races and he's WDC.

[GORDON STREETER]

Vettel just thinks that everyone should get out of his way just because of his name and past results. How things have changed since he changed camps and found that the car isn't what he was promised !
I couldn't believe that Hammy wasn't penalised and even more when they did Verstappen for the same thing ! obviously Ferrari still has an influence !!!!!!

[ScotsBrutesFan]

Sky's race blog is still running and has this as the latest news.

FIA haven't updated thie webpage yet.

10 second penalty for Vettel causing a collision with Ricciardo

Ricciardo now 3rd Verstappen 4th and Vetel 5th

[Lancsbreaker]

Not sure - at the first corner when Lewis went off he was at least two car lengths clear of anyone else - as seen from the overhead shots.....when Max went off Seb was right on his gearbox......anyway as said, fine, give Lewis a 5 second penalty.....makes no odds

Seb's petulance and foul-mouthed ranting does him no favours, of course....