Mexico City: Friday's Verdict and the F1® Red Bull Revolution

 

Here we are, descending upon the high-altitude, high-energy Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez for the Mexican Grand Prix, and all talk is about the F1® Driver Championship.

Friday's practice sessions, while offering a typical first-day mixed bag of results, gave us vital clues about who holds the advantage on this unique, demanding circuit.

The Red Bull Advantage: Unlocking the Altitude Code

The most significant takeaway from Friday is that Max Verstappen and Red Bull have a car that is perfectly adapted to the thin air of Mexico City.

This is a place where every team runs maximum downforce, but the thin air starves the engines and brakes. 

Red Bull's continued development of the RB21 has clearly paid massive dividends, with Verstappen feeling comfortable with the car running in a new, optimised configuration.

Verstappen revealed that the most significant difference now is that the car can be run “in a different configuration”, which, in simple terms, means running closer to the ground.

This unlocks "quite a bit more pace" and drastically reduces tyre sliding. 

The reigning champion is not only benefiting from a faster Red Bull but can set it up more to his liking—a subtle but potent change that is making him a consistently formidable force. 

He will be hunting for his sixth win here this weekend, and the early signs are ominous for the competition.

McLaren's Sticking Point: No More Upgrades

Team Principal Andrea Stella confirmed that no further upgrades will be added to the 2025 car, as the focus has now fully shifted to the 2026 challenger.

This means that Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris must now fight Max Verstappen with the car in its current form.

While the MCL39 is an exceptional machine, the Max Factor and the Red Bull resurgence under Laurent Mekies have a magic touch and an atmosphere that they are prepared to push the limits to the bitter end.

Norris and Piastri are talented enough to secure the Drivers' Championship with the existing package. 

Still, they have absolutely no margin for error as they either have the four-time world champion in their mirrors, hot on their gearbox, or he is out in front and they are eating his dirty air.

And as always, when the lights go out and the drama unfolds, here at Senate Grand Prix, there is only one winner, and that's you, the race fans!