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Old 25 Oct 2019, 06:58 (Ref:3936655)   #1
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Mexican Grand Prix 2019: Grand Prix Weekend Thread

In 2015, the Autódromo Hermanos Rodriguez returned for the first time in 23 years to once again give us a Mexican Grand Prix. This was the second return for the event, after hosting Grands Prix from 1962 to 1970 and 1986 to 1992. In its previous guise, this 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, with dominant Williams pairing Nigel Mansell and Ricardo Patrese coming first and second and Benetton’s Michael Schumacher completing the podium.

On its return in 2015, Nico Rosberg was in his victory streak and led home a Mercedes 1-2 ahead of newly-crowned world drivers' champion Lewis Hamilton. Then-Williams driver 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.

The following year, Hamilton won from eventual world champion Rosberg. Max Verstappen came home 3rd, but was given a 5-second penalty for cutting a corner and just before getting out onto the podium, was sent back down again, with Vettel replacing him on the final step. Vettel attended that ceremony, but was later given a 10-second penalty for moving under braking when defending from Daniel Ricciardo and he was also stripped off the place. Ricciardo finally took the spot.

Max Verstappen has won the Mexican Grand Prix for the last two years. In 2017, he did it after touching Vettel at the start, Vettel also colliding with Hamilton. Bottas and Kimi Räikkönen completed the podium. Last year, it was Vettel and Räikkönen who came 2nd and 3rd, while Hamilton's 4th place was enough to seal his fifth world championship.

This year gunning for his 6th, Hamilton needs to extend his lead over Bottas by 12 points to 78 for him to do it in Mexico City.

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 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.

Circuit length: 4.304km
Number of laps: 71
Race distance: 305.354km
Dry weather tyre compounds: C2, C3 & C4
Race Lap Record: 1:18.741 (2018 - Valtteri Bottas - Mercedes)
First Grand Prix: 1962
First World Championship Grand Prix: 1963
First World Championship Grand Prix on current layout: 2015



To join in our predictions contest and Fantasy F1 contest, go here: https://tentenths.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=70

Constructors’ championship standings: https://www.formula1.com/en/results.html/2019/team.html

Drivers' championship standings: https://www.formula1.com/en/results....9/drivers.html

Mexican Grand Prix tyre choices: https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...BxP2MBkcv.html
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