Mika Hakkinen: 2023 Mexican Grand Prix

Mika Memories

I raced at the Mexican Grand Prix twice, in 1991 and 1992 when I was driving for Team Lotus alongside my team mate, and room mate, Johnny Herbert.  I finished both races, scoring my second ever World Championship points finish when I was 6th in 1992.  This was back when they only awarded points to the top six, which made scoring points a lot more difficult than it is today!

Everything about Mexico is high.  The circuit’s high altitude means teams run high downforce but, because of the thin air, the cars reach high speeds, especially on the long pit straight where 350kph is possible in the current F1 cars.

The circuit has changed since I raced on it. We used to have the quick, demanding Peraltada right hander, almost a semi circle, as the final corner.  That’s where Ayrton Senna rolled his McLaren during Friday qualifying in ’91.  It’s a shame such a challenging corner has gone, but the new stadium section is popular with the fans and that helps to make the atmosphere really special.

Championship Form

Last weekend’s race in Austin, Texas, was another win for Max but this time it was not so easy.  Starting from sixth position on the grid, and suffering from some brake issues, he only won the race by just over two seconds from Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes.  As we know, the seven times World Champion was later disqualified, but for me the result was still very important.  Mercedes is looking strong, they have continued to develop the car and Lewis and team mate George Russell are now pushing for the win.

No one should underestimate Mercedes ability and, with only 22 points protecting them from Ferrari in the fight for second place in the teams championship, they are highly motivated.

The team which is making headlines and producing results is McLaren, Lando Norris scoring his fifth second-placed finish in Austin. Although he was promoted from third due to Lewis’s disqualification, he qualified well, raced brilliantly and was only ten seconds behind Max at the end.  He and team mate Oscar Piastri are hunting for top results, and since Oscar has already won a Sprint Race, Lando is very focused on securing his first Grand Prix win when the opportunity arises.  He has momentum on his side.

McLaren has now moved ahead of Aston Martin in the teams’ World Championship, a result which seemed impossible half way through the season, but it shows what fantastic work has been done by the team under Andrea Stella and Zak Brown.

Ferrari has also improved.  They were quick in Austin last year and Charles Leclerc’s pole position last weekend showed the red cars are competitive, even if the team’s performance is a little inconsistent.  Carlos Sainz has a real opportunity to overtake fellow Spanish star Fernando Alonso for fourth place in the World Championship for Drivers.  Aston Martin need to find some solutions soon, the big upgrade in Austin not having produced the performance the team needs.

I think the Sprint Race format probably hurt Aston Martin last weekend, leaving very little track time to sort the car out, so perhaps a normal weekend in Mexico will give them the opportunity to provide Fernando with a more competitive package.

Mika’s Tip

It would be fantastic to see Sergio Perez take a win in front of his amazing home fans but World Champion Max Verstappen is not going to gift it to his team mate.  If Sergio can find the pace in qualifying, he will giving it everything to score his third win of the season, but if you want a surprise result then look for Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris.  Lewis was very strong in Austin last weekend, the win even looked possible, while Lando is just waiting for the opportunity.  It will come soon.

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