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Formula One: 5 things to look out for at the Mexican GP

Lara Seychell
Formula 1

 

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By Lara Seychell

  • Heading into the end of the season, what is left to play out
  • 5 things to look out for
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO – There are just three races to go till the end of the 2016 Formula One season, but the race for the Drivers’ Championship is on fire! The Mexican Grand Prix is just hours away, but what are the five main facts that we need to look out for ahead of this GP?

 

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1) Hamilton starts from pole position

Lewis Hamilton obtained his first ever Mexican Grand Prix pole position, and is looking to close the gap to his teammate Nico Rosberg. However, the German is close by, as he managed to secure a front row lock-out for the team and will be starting right next to Lewis as the lights go out. The start will be crucial for him, as he needs to make sure he has the best possible get away and get a clean turn 1.

 

2) Rosberg can win the title in Mexico

Nico Rosberg can mathematically win the championship come this evening, but this will only happen if he wins the race and Hamilton only gets 10th place or less. Therefore, a DNF is definitely the worst enemy for Lewis that will haunt him throughout the race. The recent reliability problems he has faced will keep him on edge during the 71 lap race.

 

3) Hamilton still has high hopes for the title

Despite the 26-point deficit behind his teammate, Hamilton is still aiming to win his fourth Formula One title. He needs to make sure to win the next three races, and then hope that Rosberg finishes below second for the remaining races. In fact, if Lewis wins the rest of the races and Rosberg finishes in second, it will be the German to successfully win his first ever Formula One world title.

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4) The rest of the field

Max Verstappen managed to secure third place in qualifying and will therefore start the race ahead of his teammate Daniel Ricciardo. Both the Red Bull drivers will be looking to end the season on a high note, as they aim to be more competitive in 2017.

Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg had a great qualifying session to obtain the fifth spot on the grid. He looks to finish this year with a podium to then start his new adventure with Renault in 2017.

The Ferraris seemed to have a good pace during the free practice sessions, but qualifying didn’t have the same effect for Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel. They will be starting in sixth and seventh respectively.

The McLaren drivers had a reasonable qualifying session as they both made it to Q2. Fernando Alonso will start the race in 11th, while Jenson Button starts in 13th.

 

5) The home drivers

This is the second year that the Mexican GP is being held in recent years. Sergio Perez and Esteban Gutierrez will be racing in front of their home crowd later on today. However, they did not have a good qualifying session, with Perez starting in 12th place and Gutierrez in 17th. They will therefore hope to obtain better results to please the thousands of fans present.

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Therefore, all eyes should be glued in front of the TV at 7pm tonight (GMT) as this could be history in the making!

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