MAX VERSTAPPEN leads rival Lewis Hamilton in the F1 World Championship race as they go into the last five races of the 2021 season.
Last time out, Red Bull stunned Mercedes by undercutting them with a perfectly executed early pit stop as Verstappen took a surprise chequered flag ahead of Hamilton in the United States.
And Christian Horner has already stated that his team are more confident of victory in Mexico and Brazil than they were in Texas two weeks ago.
Horner said before the race in Austin that he expected the altitude of Mexico City and Interlagos to play into Red Bull’s hands.
But Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has warned that Hamilton will stop at nothing to become the first ever eight-time F1 world champion.
He told Mail Plus: “If it was to come to the scenario of the last race in Abu Dhabi, and they were to be racing each other for the title, whoever is in front is absolutely going to try to do the same as in the Senna-Prost years.
“What happened in Monza? Verstappen took Lewis out, because he was about to overtake and he was quicker. And that is totally understandable.
“If you are racing for the championship and you see it fading away because the other guy is overtaking you, what other tool have you got other than the one that makes sure he can’t overtake?
“We’ve seen it with Schumacher and Villeneuve, we saw it with Senna and Prost twice.
“I don’t think you can control it, I don’t think you want to control it because they are the gladiators in their machines.
“You wouldn’t want to have calmed the gladiators in the arena 2,000 years ago. We will not interfere.”
F1 2021 calendar: practice times, dates and racetrack info
What time does the F1 Mexican Grand Prix qualifying start?
- The F1 Mexican Grand Prix race weekend takes place from Friday, November 5 to Sunday, November 7.
- Practice One was held on Friday at 5.30pm UK time with Practice Two following at 9pm..
- Practice Three takes place TODAY at 5pm UK time (11am in Mexico).
- The battle for pole was won by Valtteri Bottas, who will start ahead of Hamilton and Verstappen on the grid.
- The Mexican Grand Prix race will be held TODAY at 7pm UK time (1pm local time).
- All the action takes place at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City.
- Last year’s Mexican Grand Prix was cancelled due to Covid restrictions but Lewis Hamilton ran out winner in the 2019 race.
What TV channel is the F1 Mexican Grand Prix on and can I live stream it?
- Sky Sports F1 will host the entire F1 Mexican Grand Prix race weekend.
- To stream it live, head to your Sky Go account.
- Non-Sky Sports subscribers can still watch all the action with a Now TV Day Pass from £9.99.
F1 Mexican Grand Prix schedule
Friday
Practice One – 5.30pm
Practice Two – 9pm
Saturday
Practice Three – 5pm
Qualifying – 8pm
Sunday
Race – 7pm
