1970 Mexican Grand Prix review for Motor Sport Magazine

By John Chapman (Pyrope) - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2640878

In the latest of my Formula 1 retro look-backs for Motor Sport Magazine ahead of a grand prix weekend, I look at the Mexican Grand Prix's infamous 1970 edition.

It didn't have all that much to recommend it on-track, but it was notorious for what happened just off it. As it was, as Autocourse put it, "lined with human guard rails". Thanks to a vast crowd turning up, and them proving to be beyond control.

I therefore look back and tell the tale. You can have a read here: https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/history/f1/f1-race-lined-human-guard-rails-1970-mexican-grand-prix

Motor Verso F1 2018 Season Summary - Mexican Grand Prix review

Photo: Octane Photography

So as a result of the latest Mexican Grand Prix we at last have a 2018 Formula 1 world champion in Lewis Hamilton. And in the same moment we have another impressive race victory for Max Verstappen.

And it means that the Motor Verso F1 season summary is approaching is final state, with my take on the Mexican round and its many implications now added to it.

As ever it's also illustrated with wonderful Pirelli photography and my selection of the best Mexican Grand Prix content from YouTube.

You can check out the latest summary here: https://www.motorverso.com/2018-f1-summary/

Mexican GP Report - Doing it all over again

And so it is now done. As always seems the way when Lewis Hamilton has a title to claim, things in this Mexican Grand Prix weren't entirely straightforward. But fortunately for him he was by now in a place where he almost couldn't lose. In fact as it turned out he literally couldn't lose as his pursuer Sebastian Vettel didn't get the race win he needed to have a chance of keeping the title open. But whatever was the case in this one, using the worn phrase, 'the history books will show' that Hamilton's fifth world championship is unequivocal. Level with Juan Manuel Fangio and only Michael Schumacher ahead. For all that it has long seemed inevitable, and the conclusion inaptly messy, the magnitude of the achievement should not be understated.

Lewis Hamilton sealed his fifth title -
though it was not straightforward
Photo: Octane Photography

The 2018 championship fight has had plenty of parallels with that 12 months previously and it continued that way in its conclusion. Again it was resolved in Mexico. Again Hamilton did just about enough. Again his chaser Vettel battled hard but did not quite get the result he needed. As again the deciding race was dominated by Red Bull. Or rather, again, by Max Verstappen's Red Bull.

He was the fastest out there all weekend, his only partial stumble missing out on pole position at the last against expectations, to his team-mate Daniel Ricciardo – Verstappen complained afterwards about excessive engine braking. Whatever he swiftly righted things with a better start to lead. And was never seen again.

Mexican GP Betting Preview - Interesting times

Life for the F1 gambler has just got a whole lot more interesting. For however many rounds we've sought to make hay from what, at the top level, was expected with reason to be a Lewis Hamilton demonstration run.

Can Ferrari continue its Austin renaissance in Mexico?
By ProtoplasmaKid [CC BY-SA 4.0  (https://creative
commons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)],
from Wikimedia Commons

Now we exist in the wake of the Austin visit last weekend, wherein the kaleidoscope was shaken. There Ferrari rediscovered the pace that it mislaid sometime in early September. Plus for the first time since before then imperious Mercedes had a messy time of it, with a dud strategy call, tyre blistering, water pump reliability problems and revising its wheels rims in fear of a protest. Hamilton hinted at problems over and above even these.

Then there's where we are this weekend coming. This Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez circuit in Mexico City is far from a standard case. Ferrari was likely the fastest car here last year and should have won. The Mercedes meanwhile doesn't appear to much like the place; the silver pair qualified four tenths off Sebastian Vettel on pole 12 months ago and in the race Valtteri Bottas - who unlike Hamilton wasn't delayed - finished almost 20 seconds behind the cruising victor Max Verstappen.

Mexico City Preview: Unfinished business

So reports of the championship battle's death were greatly exaggerated. Or rather, they were premature by a week. Lewis Hamilton heading into the Mexican Grand Prix this weekend still has a little bit of work to do.

Barring the unusual, Lewis Hamilton will clinch the
world championship this weekend
Photo: Octane Photography

Despite everything though Austin's result from last Sunday ratcheted up the certainty of his fifth drivers' title. Now he needs only five points - or to put it another way a seventh place - to make it official. Surely barring a non-finish or very severe delay he'll get it this time. Even a small delay shouldn't stop him - we've seen time and again that these days members of the six-car Class A can polish off all of Class B with minimum fuss.

And perhaps it's just as well for Hamilton and Mercedes that the mathematics are straightforward, as at this Magdalena Mixhuca parkland venue in Mexico City it emphatically cannot expect a walk in the park.

Inside Line F1 Podcast - What Could Be Sebastian Vettel's Future In F1?

Will Sebastian Vettel go the Fernando Alonso way? Or will he retire from the sport as a quadruple World Champion? Or will he follow Michael Schumacher's footsteps and take on a team management role? What are the chances of Vettel jumping ship to Mercedes; a German driver racing for a German team and all of that...! Let alone young drivers, the lack of competitive teams in the sport could catch out this former World Champion too! From fighting Mercedes, Ferrari seem to be fighting within themselves.

In this week's episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, we tell you why Red Bull Racing should sell its vacant Toro Rosso cockpit to a wealthy pay driver. We applaud Daniel Ricciardo's comic timing while also questioning why Vladimir Putin arrives closer to the end of the Russian Grand Prix every year. Finally, we predict by what race this season would Lewis Hamilton seal the 2018 Formula 1 World Championship. We picked Brazil or Mexico - what's your pick? Tune in!

00:00-2:00 - Should Sebastian Vettel be called title contender for 2018 anymore?
2:00 - 5:00 - Will Vettel go the Fernando Alonso way? What could be Sebastian Vettel's future in Formula 1?
5:00 - 7:00 - Red Bull Racing to make money from their vacant cockpit at Toro Rosso?
7:00 - 9:00 - Good timing for Ferrari to introduce a new livery? Should Formula 1 allow teams to use one-off liveries?
9:00 - 11:00 - How would Mercedes deploy team orders in case they had a three car team & all three of their cars were 1-2-3?
11:00 - 13:00 - Daniel Ricciardo's comic timing - he cracked a doping joke at the Russian Grand Prix!
13:00 - 15:00 - Why does Vladimir Putin arrive closer to the end of the Russian Grand Prix every single year?
15:00 - 17:00 - What Wolff Said This Week section + Looking forward to Suzuka & the 2018 Japanese Grand Prix
17:00 - 22:00 - Moments in Time with Lucien; by which race would Lewis Hamilton clinch the 2018 Formula 1 Championship?

(Season 2018, Episode 34)

Subscribe to the Inside Line F1 Podcast on iTunes and on audioBoom (RSS feed) for your weekly dose of Formula 1 humour

Mexico Grand Prix review for Motor Verso - However you get them

We didn't get anything like the race anticipated. Indeed it was one back to front - literally.

Photo: Octane Photography

After a lap the chief world drivers' championship protagonist Lewis Hamilton was last and his one (albeit distant) contender Sebastian Vettel was second last. All due to a first complex contretemps.

The title calculations therefore were re-done; Seb needed second to delay Lewis' title. He didn't get there, as he was never going to do without attrition or safety cars which never arrived. Lewis therefore confirmed the crown in odd circumstances, but it was no less deserved for that.

And while all this was going on a certain Max Verstappen won, in a race of one.

You can have a read of my take on it all for Motor Verso here: http://www.motorverso.com/mexican-gp-2017-report-however-get/

Do check out the Motor Verso site too; you'll find motoring news, car reviews and features - the team on the site carry out week-long test drives of the latest cars - as well as photos and videos of the machines.

Mexican GP Report - Taking the long route

Lewis Hamilton clinched his fourth world title in the Mexican Grand Prix. This you'll have got short odds on. I wouldn't however like to say what odds you'd have got on how we got there. But ultimately that he got there was all that matters.

Lewis Hamilton, via a haphazard route,
claimed his fourth world title
Photo: Octane Photography

Whatever can be said about F1, and motorsport, it always carries a possibility that things can look very different in a blink. And it hardly gets more unrecognisable than after one lap of this race: championship protagonist one Sebastian Vettel was second last; championship protagonist two Lewis Hamilton last.

At the end of the long run to the opening complex they were side-by-side contesting the lead, joined by a certain Max Verstappen making them three-wide. Max as is his way channelled a perfect level of aggression to elbow his way to the front, and amid the uproar Seb's front wing made contact with Lewis's right rear tyre.

Despite the odd internet conspiracy theory - Niki Lauda was critical of Seb too - it was hard to attribute too much blame.

But whatever Lewis's tyre was punctured and Seb had to replace his wing. Thus we had the odd sight of the key pair touring gingerly into the pits at the end of lap one.

Mexico City Qualifying - Going down fighting

We had forgotten about him. The focus in Mexico's qualifying was on Max and the Mercs. But Sebastian Vettel, almost unnoticed, was in the mix, and not one to be written off. Especially not at the last of a quali session. And he snatched this pole position with a stunning final effort around the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.

Despite everything, Sebastian Vettel is going down
fighting and took Mexico's pole
Photo: Octane Photography

From the championship angle it was an act of futility; Ferrari lately hasn't had its troubles to seek more generally either. But at least Seb is going down fighting, being one of the few things about the Scuderia not to flinch in recent weeks.

That party piece of his, absolute taking a car as fast as it can go - and perhaps faster - in a quali crunch point, was what did it. Appropriately it was his landmark 50th pole.

"It was quite a lap I have to say. I'm really really happy," Vettel said, again appropriately.

"It's very difficult here, very slippery, difficult to get everything in one lap. I had a little bit [of an advantage] in the first sector, I managed to get that right so I had a good start, then I had a bit of a moment at turn six, I nearly lost it there, had to go down to 1st gear, but I didn't lose any time.

Mexican GP Betting Preview - Silver struggle?

You know the one about not jumping to conclusions. Lewis Hamilton has won six of the last eight rounds, and been at somewhere near the top of his game. Now we have the Mexico round, with plenty of long straights on the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez on which the Mercedes can stretch its legs.

The championships may be as good as gone, but Ferrari
 looks good for the Mexico race
By ProtoplasmaKid - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://
commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=44664005

And yet. Mercedes has been worried about this one for a while. With the high altitude all will be able to run with maximum downforce, and Ferrari and Red Bull has tended to look stronger in such a spec this season.

"I think the Ferraris will be quite quick," said Lewis in advance of this one. "I'm not sure how we're going to do at that track, I think they might have the upper hand."

And even better the bookies don't appear to have twigged, making Lewis the clear favourite. Therefore lay your money on Sebastian Vettel at 7/2 to get the pole and 13/5 to get the win.

Seb to get fastest lap at 5/2 also looks good - he indeed has taken fastest lap in two of the previous three races (and he barely started the other one).

Mexico City Preview: Something old, something new

It's still a new round. But of course it is far from new. And far from typical of the sort that has parachuted onto the modern F1 calendar lately.

The new stop-off that's far from new
By Luis Urquiza - https://www.flickr.com/photos/luajr/
22753552172/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.
wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=44827198

Mexico has considerable F1 heritage, as well as considerable F1 presence. And when it reconvened as an F1 host two years ago it confirmed too that it bows to few when it comes to the quantity and passion of its fans.

F1 returned then to Mexico for the first time since 1992 and indeed to the same, albeit revised, Magdalena Mixhuca park venue in Mexico City. And it was not just due to this that it shares little with the often tepid new-fangled rounds of the past couple of decades.

Some 350,000 come through the gates across each weekend visit which includes 40,000 packing out the astonishing baseball stadium section, which also hosts the podium ceremony and provides a football crowd-like atmosphere. F1's return moved even sober Niki Lauda to describe it as the best F1 event he had attended.

Mexico Grand Prix review for Motor Verso - Sedation and Strife

Photo: Octane Photography

Curious, is the word. The Mexico Grand Prix was largely a sedate one. Between the opening turns and the last small handful of laps indeed almost nothing went down. And yet. The rest of the time it packed in plenty, not only of action but sadly in that inseparable way of the modern sport in plenty of strife too. And finger pointing. And penalties.

And all to the end of a round that, from the championship standpoint at least, largely left things as you were. Curious, as I said.

I give my take on all of this in my latest Motor Verso race review, which you can read here: http://www.motorverso.com/united-states-gp-2016-review-lewiss-lone-star-state/

Do check out the Motor Verso site too; you'll find motoring news, car reviews and features - the team on the site carry out week-long test drives of the latest cars - as well as photos and videos of the machines.

The latest Lights to Flag Podcast - 2016 Mexico Grand Prix Review

After a week off the Lights to Flag podcast is back. Ewan and I were joined again by Jack Amey to look back at the Mexico Grand Prix (apologies for the poor sound quality from me - hopefully my technology problems will be resolved for next time...)

We explore the Mexican goings-on, its many controversies and the impact of the race on the ongoing championship battle. We also look at the latest on the 2017 drivers' market including the confirmation that Lance Stroll gets a Williams gig, as well as at the rumours of Ross Brawn's return to F1. As ever you can listen via the player below.

You also can interact with the podcast via its Twitter account and on its Facebook page. If you want to appear on it give us a shout too. And if you have comments then get them to us via the various channels and we'll read out the good ones on a future episode!

Inside Line F1 Podcast - And That's How The FIA Avoided The Shoey On The Podium

FIA was sneaky in its ways to keep the shoey off the podium. We had an instance where 3 drivers were classified 3rd at least once. Thank you FIA, for embarrassing Formula 1. And thank you (not!) for ensuring the shoey man doesn't find himself on the podium, during the podium.

Daniel Ricciardo's shoey was missed in Mexico, but is it time for a new party trick? We're excited to know what it could be and how he's going to up that game!

The Mexico Grand Prix will be remembered for the FIA's inconsistent stewardship. One that saw Max Verstappen get penalty for doing a 'Lewis Hamilton', even when Hamilton himself didn't get one. And of course, Sebastian Vettel realised that the only driver who gets away by doing 'The Verstappen' is Max Verstappen himself.

What else did this episode teach us? Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso have friends in the FIA, but Sebastian Vettel certainly doesn't. In fact, after his tirade of abusive, there's little doubt there.

Should Lewis Hamilton have received a penalty? Probably, yes. Max Verstappen too? If Hamilton did, then yes, if not, then no. But Sebastian Vettel? We think not! Are they over-regulating the sport by trying to curb natural instincts of a racing car driver? But, we expect further sanctions towards Sebastian Vettel for dropping the F-bomb. A race ban? Or something far worse?

Eventually, we hope that Liberty Media realise how bunching the teams up and making them compete impacts the sport. A Verstappen vs. Vettel vs. Ricciardo is exactly what the sport needs, minus the swearing, of course.

Are Hamilton's start issues a thing of the past? We'll be glad, if they are. After all, blaming a clutch for losing the Drivers' Championships sounds very lame. We've been talking about Nico Rosberg and his 'match points' as we near the end of the 2016 season. But since when did we start calling it a 'match point'? This isn't tennis!

Is Max Verstappen a threat to Hamilton or Rosberg in the Drivers' Championship? Are we the only ones fearing that he could crash into either driver in the remaining two races? He almost knocked Rosberg out of the race in Mexico!

After witnessing the Mexico Grand Prix, we are forced to agree with Ecclestone's idea on building walls to ensure drivers race within track limits. And, Fernando Alonso was rated as 'the best Formula 1 driver' in an impromptu vote between 9 journalists. 8 out of those 9 voted for Alonso, barring one. We investigate who this journalist could be.

And finally, will Ross Brawn return to save Formula 1? We certainly hope that he does. Because given the movements in Formula E, we definitely should be considering an Inside Line Formula E Podcast!

Tune in!

(Season 2016, Episode 36)

Mexican GP Report - Everything and nothing

For more reason than one, there wasn't much to say about this race. Just like last week Lewis Hamilton was for much of Mexican Grand Prix weekend on another level to the rest, not least his team mate. Just like last week his team mate Nico Rosberg did what was required to keep this year's world championship well under his control, by following Lewis home.

Just like in Austin, Lewis Hamilton won at a canter
Photo: Octane Photography

And for much of the way to getting there - and back to where we started in effect - there wasn't much to distinguish things. Sadly this popular Mexican stop-off with its numerous and passionate support hasn't been well-served by entertainment since it returned to the F1 itinerary last year. It hasn't helped that both races have been tyre economy runs, with extremely stretched out strategies the norm. Strangely too for a track dominated by two long straights ended by big braking zones overtaking here seems for the most part about as presentable as at Monaco.

Well, this was the way of it much of the way. Between lap two and lap 67 of 71. The bookends were rather different. They managed to squeeze in plenty for us to say. And the discussions are ongoing.

Mexico City Qualifying - As you were

It's the F1 equivalent of freewheeling I suppose. Last week in Austin Lewis Hamilton was a clear step ahead of the rest just about the whole time. A week on and the relatively short hop to Mexico City later, one hardly can see the join.

Just like in Austin, Lewis Hamilton looked a clear step ahead
Photo: Octane Photography

As in Austin he had around a couple of tenths or more per lap on his title foe Nico Rosberg almost from the first tours in Friday practice. Indeed as this Mexican weekend went on his gap to Nico seemed to stretch. Indeed as this weekend went on it appeared what threat there was to Lewis was not from across the Mercedes garage.

Ferrari had a fizz-bang from topping the second Friday practice session, then in Saturday morning practice Red Bull stepped in with Max Verstappen heading the order. At the very start of the qualifying hour there also was a pang of excitement as Lewis was but in fourth place after his first effort, shy indeed of the very same Ferrari pair and Verstappen. But as ever it was all illusory. Lewis seized the top spot later in the same run and wasn't really seen again. He got pole at a canter with his opening run of Q3 good enough by a way.

New Grand Prix Times article: Thirty years on - Prost's finest drive? And not the one you think

Photo: Octane Photography

It's human nature that we remember a finale. But much more often forgotten is how we got there. It can be at least as important.

And so it was 30 years ago. We all remember the magnificent championship showdown in Adelaide; Nigel Mansell's exploding tyre which opened the way for Alain Prost's unlikely but towering achievement to win the title.

But, again, we might have forgotten how we got there. Not least the round before, like this weekend in Mexico, in which Prost's drive was even greater arguably. Certainly it was more pure Prost.

In my latest Grand Prix Times article I look back at that Mexican weekend and Prost's extraordinary effort. You can read it here: http://www.grandprixtimes.com/news/id/13143

Mexico City Preview - Not what it says on the tin

It was new. But of course it was far from new. It also was far from the usual sort of round that parachutes onto the modern F1 calendar.

Last year's return to Mexico and the Autódromo Hermanos
Rodríguez was a great success
By Luis Urquiza - https://www.flickr.com/photos/luajr/
22753552172/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.
org/w/index.php?curid=44827198

Not only has Mexico considerable F1 heritage. Not only either did it have already a considerable F1 presence both in drivers and investment. Last year at the start of its latest run as an F1 host it confirmed too that it bows to few when it comes to both the number and the passion of its fans.

Yes - 12 months ago the sport returned to Mexico for the first time since 1992 and indeed to the same, albeit revised, venue in Mexico City. And it was not just for these reasons that it shared little with the typical new-fangled round.

Some 335,850 came through the gates across the three days with 134,850 there on race day - including 40,000 packing out the astonishing baseball stadium section, which hosted the podium ceremony too - and provided a football crowd-type atmosphere. It moved even Niki Lauda to describe it as the best F1 event he had attended.

New Motor Verso article: Why F1 has (mostly) got it right on engines

Photo: Octane Photography

F1's current spec of engines has been quite the subject of debate pretty much since their inception. Or since before. The sport it seems has struggled to love the hybrid units with their strict fuel limits and indeed talk of introducing a rather dumbed down equivalent of them has risen lately.

Yet for Motor Verso I outline why - despite the problems; despite the self-disgust - the sport has actually got a lot right with its current engines. That even though some change is necessary F1 also risks throwing the baby out with the bathwater with too much change. And that the recent Mexican Grand Prix gave the units the perfect stage to show what they can do.

You can have a read of it via this link: http://www.motorverso.com/f1-mostly-got-right-engines/

Do check out the Motor Verso site too; you'll find motoring news, car reviews and features - the team on the site carry out week-long test drives of the latest cars - as well as photos and videos of the machines.

The rise and fall of Vettel the crash kid

The Mexican Grand Prix was one for ending lengthy runs for the the team in red. Neither Sebastian Vettel nor Kimi Raikkonen made the end which meant it was Ferrari's first double non-finish, astonishingly, since the Australian Grand Prix in early 2006. The team's first in close to a decade in other words.

Strange though it sounds, Sebastian Vettel
was once F1's pariah
Photo: Octane Photography

But for Vettel personally it also marked the end of a distance run. Him binning it out of the race was his first retirement due to an accident or spin in well over five years, since the Turkish Grand Prix in 2010 (yes, that one). And if even this didn't strike as being impressive in itself then add to it also that there was a time when Seb was roundly abused as F1's 'crash kid'.

It sounds silly now, indeed it was rather silly at the time, but there once was a prevailing view in and around the sport that Seb went to pieces in wheel-to-wheel situations. That he couldn't hack it under pressure. That even he was a danger to others.

Related to the barbs he was the sport's number one pariah of choice for a good while. To think too that a suggestion that lingered on rather longer was that Seb always had it easy in his time in F1. Not so.