F1 2018: 5 Early Predictions for Mexican GP
After a thrilling United States GP in Austin that saw Kimi Raikkonen take his first win since Australia 2013 in a Lotus, the Championship race between Sebastian Vettel & Lewis Hamilton will extend until at least Mexico. With 3 races to go, Vettel has a 70 point deficit, meaning he needs to close the gap by at least 20 points to keep the title race alive going into Brazil.
As that happens up front, Raikkonen has jumped 4 points ahead of fellow Finn, Valtteri Bottas to take third in the drivers' standings, and Max Verstappen has solidified his place in 5th as a string of unlucky finishes plague Daniel Ricciardo.
This time around in Mexico, the onus is on Vettel to make up places on Hamilton, and Ferrari will need a miraculous failure from Mercedes if they want to extend the title race even further. Meanwhile, in the midfield, Renault seem to have 4th place clinched, but anything can happen as Haas, McLaren & Force India vie for those last few points. Hulkenberg is also currently the best of the rest, but has Perez, Magnussen & Alonso not too far behind.
What will happen this time round in Mexico? Nobody knows, but as always, that won't stop us from guessing!
#1 Bottas gets pole in Mexico
With one of F1's Finn's grabbing the victory in the USA, we see it's the other Finn trying to one-up him and grab pole this Saturday. With Hamilton & Vettel squarely in the limelight, I believe the pressure will be building upon them, and a Bottas with nothing to lose will put in a blistering lap to grab pole in Mexico City.
Bottas has 6 poles in the past, and has shown that he has what it takes to find the right amount of time over one lap if need be. His skill in Quali has not always shined through, especially being paired up against the best qualifier of all time in Lewis Hamilton.
Mercedes will need their 'wingman' to put in a good effort in order to keep Raikkonen & Vettel at bay, and whether or not he gets pole, they will want him to be ahead of the two Ferraris. That being said, I believe that the Nastola native will go above & beyond to pull one back in his fight for 3rd with Kimi & grab P1 on Saturday.