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The 2022 F1 Mexican GP comes at a very critical juncture this season. While the biggest honors of the constructors' championship have already been decided, there are still battles to be played out that are perhaps more crucial. While Red Bull has claimed the constructors' title in Austin, the battle amongst midfield teams has become very intense this season.
As we head into Sergio Perez's home nation, P1 to P3 is more or less settled in the constructors' championship. P4 onwards, however, the positions are up for grabs for any team at the moment. Each of these incremental positions means better results for the teams as well as a significant jump in prize money.
Looking at the championship standings this weekend, it's safe to say that a few teams will be desperate for a strong result this weekend. Who are these teams? Let's find out!
#3 Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo has been on the backfoot ever since the other teams started catching up. The Hinwil-based squad was rapid at the start of the season and, to be fair, their car was at its peak in Barcelona as the fourth fastest on the grid. Since then, however, a raft of upgrades from other teams has seen the team's growth trajectory slow down.
Earlier in the season, Alfa Romeo possessed an advantage in that their car was right on the weight limit while the other teams struggled massively with it. The team had a horrible 2021 F1 season where it scraped the bottom of the barrel to secure results. This season, however, a P6 in the championship sounds very impressive.
Having said that, Aston Martin, one of the better performing teams of the second half of the season, has cut the gap to P6 in the championship to a sole point now. With three races left and a one-point lead to defend, Alfa Romeo is in a precarious situation now and the team will be aiming to get things back on track at the 2022 F1 Mexican GP.
#2 Haas F1
P8 in the standings with 38 points on the board, this season has been an improvement for Haas, especially compared to last year. Having said that, the team has been on a decline after a very impressive start to the season. Although Kevin Magnussen scored the team's first points since the 2020 F1 Eifel GP, the initial lead has now turned into a danger of losing out to a team like AlphaTauri with 36 points in P9.
The track layout for the 2022 F1 Mexican GP suits cars with good aerodynamic efficiency. For a car like Haas that has struggled to put things together due to the excess drag it produces down the straights, this has to be one of the best opportunities to capitalize on the track layout.
Compared to its direct competition AlphaTauri, which struggles on low downforce tracks, Haas will be hoping to make the most of this weekend and pull out as much gap as possible over the Red Bull sister team.
#1 McLaren
McLaren's battle with Alpine has been one of the most intriguing battles this season. Heading into a race weekend, the performances of both cars have converged so much that it has become hard to predict who will have the edge. Suzuka saw Alpine bring in the big guns and pull away impressively from McLaren. Austin, however, saw McLaren bounce back, this time with Lando Norris putting together a sensational performance.
One of the key areas where both cars diverge is their preferred track layouts. Alpine has shown an affinity towards a low downforce setup as it tries to exploit its impressive straight-line speed, while McLaren has favored higher downforce setups because of the car's poor straight-line speed compared to the rest of the grid.
The 2022 F1 Mexican GP will be held at a high altitude, which means the air will be thinner. In these conditions, even though we have a very long start-finish straight, the aerodynamic demands will be very high. The track for the 2022 F1 Mexican GP demands a high downforce setup and should intrinsically favor McLaren. For the Woking-based squad, the track layout in Mexico should suit their car the most in scoring the maximum possible points out of all the tracks remaning this season. The team will be desperate to close down the championship advantage enjoyed by Alpine at the moment.
