More track limits trouble? Five Mexican Grand Prix talking points

Last year’s Mexican Grand Prix sparked a furious row over track limits – just as last weekend’s United States Grand Prix did.

Will it be more of the same this weekend? And is the title finally going to be settled? Here are this weekend’s talking points.

Track limits

Max Verstappen’s penalty for passing Kimi Raikkonen with all four wheels off-track on the last lap in Austin is likely to continue to provoke debate in the build-up to the race weekend. (Though at the time of writing two-thirds of you have indicated you consider his penalty “fair”).

And track limits may be a talking point once the action begins, as they were last year. Last year it was also Verstappen who picked up a penalty after going off at turn one, while the Mercedes pair escaped punishment for going off at the same part of the track.

Race director Charlie Whiting later explained the reasons for the distinction. Yet despite the stewards adopting a more lenient stance on track limits this year the sport has found itself in the midst of another row over what does and doesn’t deserve a penalty.

There are encouraging signs that lessons have been learned. A new series of two-metre long, 50mm-high speed bumps have been installed in and around turns two and three at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in order to discourage corner-cutting. As always, they best solution to the track limits row is to make it impossible for drivers to gain an advantage by leaving the circuit in the first place.

• New video compares Hamilton, Rosberg and Verstappen’s corner-cutting
• Why gravel traps aren’t the easy answer to corner-cutting
• Poll: Were the stewards right to penalise Verstappen?

Championship end game?

Last weekend there was a slim chance Hamilton could win the championship. This weekend there’s a slim chance Hamilton won’t win the championship.

Unless Vettel finishes in the top two and Hamilton has a bad day, the British driver is set to become the first person to win the title in Mexico since Graham Hill almost 50 years ago.

Will he go out on a high or bag some safe points to get the job done? It might not be a straightforward weekend for Hamilton as despite its long straights the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is a high-downforce circuit. Its corners are mostly the kind of slow turns the W08 hasn’t excelled at.

But with Hamilton needing a minimum of fifth to become champion whatever Vettel does, only a car failure or accident is likely to stop him becoming champion again on Sunday.

• How Hamilton can win the title in Mexico

Sainz vs Hulkenberg

Carlos Sainz Jnr’s first race at Renault went very well. On the opposite side of the garage, nothing went right for Nico Hulkenberg.

This pair has the potential to be every bit as exciting a partnership as Perez and Ocon. Hopefully this weekend we’ll get to see how they stack up against each other. The qualifying battle, where Hulkenberg has been extremely strong all season long, will be a particularly fascinating watch.

Home hero under pressure

There’s just one home driver on the grid this year and he’s in the midst of a very tasty battle with his team mate. Sergio Perez has been quick to accuse Esteban Ocon of holding him up in the last two races, and will be anxious not to follow the other Force India home for the third race in a row.

Particularly as Ocon is edging ever-closer to him in the drivers’ championship. Finishing ahead of a driver of Perez’s stature would be a huge coup for Ocon in his first full season.

A race worthy of the fans?

It’s only been back on the calendar for two years yet the Mexican Grand Prix has already earned a well-deserved reputation for a well-attended and lively event.

Unfortunately the action on the track hasn’t yet lived up to that billing. Both the previous races received lukewarm reviews from F1 Fanatic readers.

Will that change this weekend? If this does prove a stronger venue for Ferrari then we may finally get a decent fight on our hands.

• Rate the Race: Circuit ratings

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2017 Mexican Grand Prix

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