F1 Correspondent - Drivers to Look Out for at The Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
The #USGP promised plenty and delivered. There was a lot on the track action, blistering speeds, and daring overtakes. Of the 20 that showed up, some of them stood out, and we can expect they’d be in the same fine form when searing rubber hits the tarmac at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
1. Charles Leclerc
Leclerc “put on a clinic” for any would-be contenders last weekend, according to Jenson Button. It was a masterful drive that saw him go from fourth on the grid to winning the race convincingly. He took the race at turn one, diving on the inside, and never looked back. It was a good intra-team win against his teammate Sainz, who had the better of him at the sprint race and quali. With the win at COTA having trimmed Lando’s point advantage to Leclerc, the Monagasque will be hot on the heels of the car in orange.
2. George Russell
Geroge Russell’s weekend was off to a great start, qualifying second for the sprint off by a couple of hundredths of a second to Verstappen, lost some space during the sprint, and finished fifth. His luck only got worse when he crashed during race quali, picking up so much damage that he had to start his race from the pit lane. It was a great recovery drive, however, seeing the Briton take the chequered flag in 6th place. With so much momentum, Russell will be one speedy silver arrow this weekend.
3. Max Verstappen
The reigning world champion and defender has had his work cut out for him the past couple of months. The Red Bull team has been struggling for raw place, with their last win coming in Round 10 of the season, where Max shared the podium with Norris and Hamilton. This weekend, however, was all about damage limitation as he was able to extend his advantage from 52 to 57 against his closest rival in the championship, Lando Norris. With the wind in his sails, he’d be hoping to mirror last year’s victory that saw him win commandingly with Lewis about 14 seconds behind.
4. Liam Lawson
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One year on the sidelines and Daniel Ricciardo’s big shoes to fill, Lawson was not the least phased on his Austin debut. He impressed with his quali pace but ended up having to start 19th on the grid after a series of engine penalties that dropped him behind the pack, from where he recovered to finish 9th. While there are still other races to go, and he’d need to deliver consistently before the GOAT shouts can begin, there’s no denying this is really fine form from the rookie driver.
