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The grid for the 2022 F1 Mexican GP is now finalized with Max Verstappen once again on pole. George Russell starts next to him on the front row, with Lewis Hamilton in P3 and Sergio Perez in P4.
In previous iterations of the race in Mexico, the driver who started the race in P3 ended up winning. With Hamilton starting the race in P3, could we be looking at a win for the Mercedes driver? If not, who do we think will win the race? Find out in our predictions for the 2022 F1 Mexican GP.
#1 Max Verstappen wins the 2022 F1 Mexican GP
Don't get us wrong! The battle for the win, if everyone gets through the first lap unscathed, is going to be very tight. Mercedes does appear to be the faster car this weekend and how Max Verstappen was able to snatch pole position from Lewis Hamilton and George Russell is astounding.
Having said that, the race is going to be very close. Both Red Bull and Mercedes should have similar race pace and if that is the case, it will ultimately come down to strategy. The strategy could involve the tires on which they start the race, the number of pitstops, as well as the timing of the pitstops. Teams and drivers will need to be flawless to win the race and our money is on Max Verstappen to get it done at the 2022 F1 Mexican GP.
#2 Expect a rather average F1 Mexican GP performance from Ferrari
Ferrari has been a shadow of itself all weekend and one of the reasons for that has been the surprisingly slow first sector. Neither of the two drivers has been able to hook up perfect laps either. For a team that tends to perform better on Saturdays as compared to Sundays, this seems to be a case of overcompensating for better race pace.
Ferrari could, in theory, have focussed on a strong race car. With the two drivers starting the race so far back, however, it's hard to see either of them making significant progress to be a factor in the race. This will be the first race of the season where Ferrari will not be a factor in the race win by a long shot.
#3 The Alpine vs McLaren battle will be intense and fun
From P8 to P11, we have the two Alpine and McLaren drivers ready for battle. In the initial phase, Alpine appeared to have the edge over McLaren but arguably a poor final lap by Esteban Ocon put paid to any plans of having an even better result.
The battle between the two teams is going to be intense. The strategy could vary on tires being used, the timing of pitstops, whether one of the drivers is favored to run longer, and more. It's going to be a very close battle worth keeping an eye on.
#4 Aston Martin breaks its consecutive points streak at 2022 F1 Mexican GP
Aston Martin has got something wrong because the car is clearly not in the working range. Looking at the way Sebastian Vettel had to push the car to extract whatever lap time was possible from it showed that there was a problem with the machinery. The car just does not work around this track. Regardless of whether it is due to the conditions, the tires, or the car itself, it has landed the team in a big hole as both drivers were dumped off in Q1.
Aston Martin has been on an impressive points-scoring streak, but the F1 Mexican GP might just be the one where this streak ends.
#5 The race will feature intrigue but not the most action
The F1 Mexican GP track layout certainly has the potential to provide an intriguing race. There will be a game of chess played by the drivers and teams at the front of the grid to secure the lead.
The teams in the midfield will then look to ace the strategy and gain an advantage. Having said that, it is fair to say that the 2022 F1 Mexican GP is not a race where you will see a lot of wheel-to-wheel action. With cars being able to follow other cars more closely, the slingshot on the start-finish straight could become even more powerful. Apart from that, however, it's safe to say that the F1 Mexican GP might fail to deliver when it comes to action.
