Mercedes could do something which no team have done since 1997, Perez could score points for the 100th time and Verstappen could become the most successful driver in Mexico. Here are the records which are up for grabs over the 2019 Mexican Grand Prix weekend!
THE NUMBERS AND MILESTONES
This will be the 1,015th Formula 1 race. It’ll be the 21st Mexican Grand Prix since the race was first held in 1962, and the 20th race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit to be part of the F1 championship.
The 24th lap of the 2019 Mexican Grand Prix will be the 1,300th racing lap of the circuit which has counted toward the F1 championship.
THE RECORDS TO BEAT
After clinching their sixth consecutive Constructors’ Championship in Japan, Mercedes could score their 100th Formula 1 victory this weekend. They’ll be only the fourth team to reach the milestone, after Ferrari, McLaren and Williams, and the first to reach a century of Grand Prix victories since Jacques Villeneuve brought Williams their 100th win at the 1997 British Grand Prix.
A win for Lewis Hamilton this weekend will see the number 44 will equal the number 3 as the car number to have taken the fifth-most victories in F1 history.
Max Verstappen could set a new record for most Mexican Grand Prix wins for any driver. He’s currently tied with Jim Clark, Nigel Mansell and Alain Prost on two wins at the track, having won both of the last two races here. A win for the Red Bull driver in 2019 would be a record-breaking third consecutive victory. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton could equal the record of most wins at the track, having previously won the event in 2016.
Lotus, McLaren and Williams are currently tied for the most wins for a team at the Mexican Grand Prix. With three wins apiece, McLaren and Williams could set an outright record of four, while a win for Mercedes, Ferrari or Red Bull would see them join the current record holders.
At the Japanese Grand Prix, Valtteri Bottas became the fourteenth different driver to have scored in 100 races, and Sergio Perez could become the fifteenth driver to reach a century of points scoring races at his home event this weekend.
If a driver other than Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel or Daniel Ricciardo takes pole for the 2019 Mexican Grand Prix, they’ll be the ninth different polesitter here in as many events.
A pole for Daniel Ricciardo would see him become the first driver to take back-to-back poles for the Mexican Grand Prix since Ayrton Senna in 1988 and 1989.
Should a Ferrari driver take a podium finish this weekend, the team will beat the Brabham team’s 22-year old record of most podiums at the Mexican Grand Prix. Brabham took ten podiums here during their existence, the most recent in 1987. Ferrari equalled the tally last season, and have the opportunity to set the outright record if one of their drivers finishes in the top three on Sunday.
Max Verstappen is the current record holder of the most points scored at the Mexican Grand Prix. He could extend that record this weekend, while Lewis Hamilton, Valtteri Bottas and Sebastian Vettel each stand the chance of becoming the new record holder.
If Max Verstappen leads 53 laps of the 2019 Mexican Grand Prix, he’ll equal Jim Clark’s 52 year old record of most laps led at the event. Clark led 191 laps of the circuit during his career.
Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas could join Nigel Mansell this weekend in having had five points-scoring races at the Mexican Grand Prix. No one has had more points-scoring races at the track than Mansell. Meanwhile, Romain Grosjean could equal Thierry Boutsen’s record tally of point-less finishes here this weekend. Boutsen had four point-less finishes here during his career, while Grosjean has had three so far.
If Sebastian Vettel takes victory this weekend, the Mexico Grand Prix will be the 22nd different Grand Prix where he has won, equalling Michael Schumacher’s tally of most different races won at – one behind Lewis Hamilton in the all time list. It would also become the 22nd different circuit at which Vettel has won, equalling Alain Prost for third place in that particular race.