This weekend’s Mexico City Grand Prix is a favourite amongst drivers, spectators and fans and this time we will see Liam Lawson compete in his second 2024 F1 race.
Coming off the ‘high’ of finishing in the points (9th) at the Pirelli United States Grand Prix, Lawson will take to the grid for his Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team.
“Mexico is very different to Austin; a different style of circuits, with the main difference being down to the altitude, meaning we run a high downforce on the car,” commented Lawson. “The speeds we reach are some of the highest of the season, which means through the corners, especially the high-speed section of the track, there’s a lot less downforce compared to somewhere like Austin.
“Grip is quite low, so the cars slide around quite a lot, making it difficult to manage tyres. “
Denny Hulme won the 1969 Mexico Grand Prix driving a McLaren-Ford. He’s the only Kiwi to have won the Mexican round of the Formula One championship since it appeared as a non-championship event in 1962, and then a year later became part of the official F1 calendar.
The event has had an on and off relationship with F1 running between 1963 to 1970 and then between 1986-1992. The GP returned in 2015 to 2019, cancelled in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic before resuming in 2022.
Brendon Hartley was the last Kiwi to compete in Mexico. Driving for Toro Rosso, he retired out of the 2017 Grand Prix and finished 14th a year later.
Lawson has turned laps on the Mexico City circuit during Free Practice back in 2022 as a reserve/test driver for AlphaTauri.
“For me, I’ve only been there once before to do a free practice session in 2022, so it’ll be similar to Austin, having to re-learn everything, but with the luxury of three rather than just the one (practice).
“Hopefully some of the things we learnt in Austin will help this week, but given the track is so different, we’ll also be running the car in quite a different window. I’m looking forward to getting back to it and I’m excited to get back in the car!”
There is no expectation to repeat Hulmes 1969 victory. Consistency is the key. Beat your teammate and if you score some points the Team will love you for it!
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