Verstappen Set to Confirm His Comeback at the Hermanos Rodríguez

Just two months ago, Max Verstappen had resigned himself to relinquishing his crown. After four consecutive titles, his successful run seemed to be ending, making way for one of the McLaren drivers. By the end of August, there was a gap of over 100 points between him and the leader, Piastri, and the idea of closing that gap seemed almost reckless. McLaren had shown such strength that only they could undermine it with absurd team orders, internal conflicts between their drivers that no one could explain, and mistakes uncharacteristic of two racers, Piastri and Norris, who found themselves in that sweet spot every athlete dreams of, allowing them to aim for the ultimate goal: becoming world champion.

That summer now feels distant. With autumn upon us and the first hints of winter clothing being felt, the papaya contenders have cooled off. After securing the constructors' title, something that was bound to happen sooner or later, they now face the difficult situation of being unable to hold back one of their drivers to benefit the other. Piastri heads into the Mexican GP with only a 14-point lead over Norris, so the Briton will not hesitate to challenge his teammate if it allows him to close the gap. With 141 points still up for grabs this weekend, neither can afford to give anything away, both among themselves and against their formidable rival.

Max Verstappen finds himself in a position he hadn't believed possible. At the end of August, during the Dutch GP, he stated it was crazy to bet on his chances of becoming world champion for the fifth consecutive time. Now, he is just 40 points away from that goal, a gap he could narrow to less than a race if luck is on his side this weekend. The evident—and suspicious—decline of McLaren compared to their direct competitors for victories has not only allowed Verstappen to win three of the last five Grands Prix but also opened up numerous alternatives in the battle for the podium: Russell, Leclerc, and even Sainz have made it to the podium in recent races, inviting optimism for a good race—at least with variables—at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.

The fervent local fans will not see their idol Sergio Pérez on track—he will be back next year with Cadillac—but they will witness battles both at the top, where the fight has unexpectedly become exciting, and at the bottom. The midfield has turned into a bubbling contest among many candidates vying to complete the points zone, including the two Spaniards.

Carlos Sainz, winner here in 2024—his last F1 victory for now—is featured on the official race poster alongside Verstappen, who is the agitator this year, and Hulkenberg because... there must be a reason they've chosen the German from Sauber. The Madrid native is delivering a great performance in this phase of the championship, and after the podium in Baku, the feelings are entirely different. However, this weekend won't be easy for him. His mistake in Austin, where he collided with Antonelli without hesitation, has cost him a five-place grid penalty that he must serve. Given this handicap, he will need an almost perfect Saturday to qualify as high as possible and minimize the penalty as much as he can. Additionally, he will have less track time to test as he has to give his car to test driver Luke Browning, as mandated by the regulations.

Fernando Alonso, who will participate in all practice sessions—Stroll is the Aston Martin driver who will hand over his AMR25 to the junior Jak Crawford—wants to make up for the poor feelings from Austin. This may not seem like the most suitable circuit for it, but he has high ambitions. The best news for him is that the updates coming from Silverstone, where the main tweaks for the much-anticipated AMR26 are being fine-tuned, are very promising. Until the next season arrives, the Asturian will have to be the team's flagbearer.