2018 Mexico Grand Prix - Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, 26-28 October

[MtthsMlw]

Tire Choices


2017 Results
Qualifying


Race




2017 Pole Lap


2017 Race Highlights

[MtthsMlw]

Currently predicted rainfall for the whole weekend.

[Just_a_fan]

A wet weekend is going to make things interesting. ..

[Racer X]

A wet weekend might extend the fight into the next GP.

[cooken]

All indications thus far would suggest otherwise. Increased risk I guess, but the top 3 teams can basically start from pitlane and comfortably finish 5/6 and all Ham needs is 7th. A wet race instead of washed out practise/qualy would be sweet though.

Hopefully some better driving is on display this weekend. The buffoonery of late has been hard to watch.

[zibby43]

Ferrari's reliability (from a hardware perspective) has been very impressive this year. Vettel, in particular.

As far as the weather is concerned, neither the Ferrari nor the Red Bull are particularly strong in the wet this year. To say the least.

[Just_a_fan]

A wet weekend might extend the fight into the next GP.

It might, but as Vettel absolutely must win all three races, the chances are a wet race will end the title battle. Even if Hamilton were punted off, Vettel hasn't been that strong this year in the wet and Max has shown consistently good wet skills. If Vettel comes second, Hamilton doesn't even need to finish the race to be champion.

[Sieper]

RBR has a problem with the undetray for wet racing this year. Acknowledged by Max at COTA once more to Dutch TV. He couldn't say (wasn't allowed) what it was but they hope to resolve it next year.

[Just_a_fan]

They do run the front end very close to the ground so maybe it just aquaplanes too easily.

[WaikeCU]

A wet weekend might extend the fight into the next GP.

It might, but as Vettel absolutely must win all three races, the chances are a wet race will end the title battle. Even if Hamilton were punted off, Vettel hasn't been that strong this year in the wet and Max has shown consistently good wet skills. If Vettel comes second, Hamilton doesn't even need to finish the race to be champion.

If it turns out to be a wet race, like properly wet, then I don't see how the race will be started with a standing start with the long run into the slow turn 1. It will be a start behind the safety car. Unless you want complete mayhem into turn 1 where half of the grid gets wiped out.

So I don't expect anything surprising in Mexico. Lewis just needs to bring it home.

[F1NAC]

Ferrari's reliability (from a hardware perspective) has been very impressive this year. Vettel, in particular.

As far as the weather is concerned, neither the Ferrari nor the Red Bull are particularly strong in the wet this year. To say the least.

Sadly #5 SF71-H has a lot of reliability problems with its driver

[Wynters]

Ferrari's reliability (from a hardware perspective) has been very impressive this year. Vettel, in particular.

As far as the weather is concerned, neither the Ferrari nor the Red Bull are particularly strong in the wet this year. To say the least.

Sadly #5 SF71-H has a lot of reliability problems with its driver

Indeed. Kimi's qualifying performance in Hungary (I think?) shows there is pace in the Ferrari in the wet. I believe he thought the Pole was there but that he messed up the last sector. Given Ferrari appear to have resolved their update issues I wouldn't rule out a good performance from a Ferrari this weekend, regardless of the conditions.

I suspect Hamilton will be pushing hard in Qualification so that he can avoid any lap 1 chaos but will be very meek during the race. Anything to avoid contact.

Hamilton appears to have slowly morphed from a Senna-type racer (fast, savouring wheel-to-wheel battling, risky overtakes, contact) to a Prost-type racer (fast, good at wheel-to-wheel racing but the Championship always takes priority). I wonder if Senna would've done the same if he'd had the opportunity to race for longer?

[nevill3]

If it turns out to be a wet race, like properly wet, then I don't see how the race will be started with a standing start with the long run into the slow turn 1. It will be a start behind the safety car. Unless you want complete mayhem into turn 1 where half of the grid gets wiped out.

So I don't expect anything surprising in Mexico. Lewis just needs to bring it home.

I thought the new rules stated that they tour around behind the safety car until it is fit to race then a standing start has to happen.

[nevill3]

39.6........

When the clerk of the course decides it is safe to call in the safety car a message “STANDING
START” will be sent to all teams via the official messaging system, all FIA light panels will
display “SS” and the car's orange lights will be extinguished. This will be the signal to the
teams and drivers that it will be entering the pit lane at the end of that lap.

At this point the first car in line behind the safety car may dictate the pace and, if necessary,
fall more than ten car lengths behind it.
Once the safety car has entered the pit lane all cars, with the exception of those required to
start from the pit lane, must return to the grid, take up their grid positions and follow the
procedures set out in Article 36.9 to 36.13.

If, after several formation laps behind the safety car, track conditions are considered
unsuitable to start the race from a standing start, the message “ROLLING START” will be sent
to all teams via the official messaging system, all FIA light panels will display “RS” and the car's
orange lights will be extinguished.
This will be the signal to the teams and drivers that it will be
entering the pit lane at the end of that lap.
At this point the first car in line behind the safety car may dictate the pace and, if necessary,
fall more than ten car lengths behind it.
As the safety car is approaching the pit entry the FIA light panels will be extinguished and
replaced by waved green flags with green lights at the Line. These will be displayed until the
last car crosses the Line.

If, after several formation laps behind the safety car, track conditions are considered
unsuitable to start the race, the message “START PROCEDURE SUSPENDED” will be sent to all
teams via the official messaging system and all cars must enter the pit lane behind the safety
car.
The procedures described in Articles 41 and 42 must then be followed and there will be
no standing start

https://www.fia.com/file/70710/download ... n=szOjLZMY

So the rules do allow a rolling start after the safety car wet start if the conditions are too wet for a standing start.

If the FIA really tried it could make things even more complicated for the casual viewer to follow what is going on

[GPR-A]

Looking at how clumsy the midfield drivers have been, it would be a good idea to have two tiered start. One for the top 6, which is normal and one for the mid-field with SC! That way, at least there would be some sanity and teams can save a lot of money that their drivers throw away and also cost with penalties.