Lewis Hamilton will in all likelihood secure his fourth world title at the Mexican Grand Prix this end of the week, so ironicly it is relied upon to be extraordinary compared to other races of the year for his adversary Sebastian Vettel’s Ferrari group.
Hamilton’s Mercedes group have been dreading the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez for quite a while, trusting that it is one of a modest bunch of tracks this year where the idea of their auto implies they will battle.
At first look, that appears an odd conviction, as the long straights and transcendently moderate corners in Mexico City appear to be reminiscent of Monza, where Mercedes overwhelmed.
The mystery, however, is in the area of the track.
Adrift level, it would be a run of the mill ‘low-downforce’ design, where groups trim the wings back to guarantee greatest speed on the long straights. Be that as it may, Mexico City lies at a height of 2,250m (7,400ft) and the thin air implies the wings of a F1 auto create less downforce.
Ferrari are going into a race where they could have caused greatest harm on Hamilton – however do as such in a for all intents and purposes vulnerable position.
Hamilton’s 66-point lead implies he needs just to complete fifth in Mexico regardless of the possibility that Vettel wins. In the event that Vettel is second, the Briton needs just ninth. In this way, in actuality, the title is won if Hamilton does not resign.
The track on which the 2017 season is probably going to achieve its outcome is, shockingly, “a bit so-so”, as Vettel puts it.
It is a refreshed – and externally comparable – variant of the great track at a similar area that facilitated Formula 1 from 1986 to 1992, But the greater part of the genuine difficulties have been taken out by a reprofiling of Esses, and turning the track just before the overwhelming, managed an Peraltada corner into a fiddly segment that turns through a baseball stadium.
However, what it needs in loftiness, it makes up in environment. The stadium is pressed with energetic nearby fans, droning and cheering for their legend Sergio Perez of Force India, and as it is situated alongside the enclosure, it is difficult to get away from the racket.
Like the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo, where the following race on the timetable will be held, Mexico City is harsh around the edges, a sprawling city with shocking movement, while certain zones have a particular edge, to understate the obvious.
Be that as it may, there are positives, as well, as Hamilton called attention to in Austin a weekend ago.
“Mexico, you’ve got sombreros, you’ve got great music, there’s real culture,” he said.
“The people love their tequila. Every Mexican I’ve met, they’re always smiling, so it’s always a great time.
“I do a bit of my winter training in Mexico, beautiful place. The city… it’s quite breathtaking just how big the city is and how many people are there. Driving into that arena that has that huge grandstand and it’s always full, from the bottom to the top.”
