IT'S RACE WEEK: 5 storylines we're excited about ahead of the 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix

Two triple-headers will close out the 2024 season and we’re into the middle of the first of those after a massive weekend in the United States. As the races come thick and fast, here are some of the hot topics after the short trip from Austin to Mexico City.

Is it a three-way title fight?

Much of the focus has been on whether Lando Norris could close the gap to Max Verstappen over the remaining races and take the title fight to the wire, but in Austin it was the championship leader who actually extended his advantage by five points.

POWER RANKINGS: Who impressed our judges across a pulsating Sprint weekend in Austin?

With a maximum of 146 points still available, and the gap at 57 points, there’s still plenty to play for even after Verstappen halted the McLaren momentum.

But it was Ferrari that stole the show with an impressive one-two finish in Austin, led home by Charles Leclerc.

AUSTIN, TEXAS - OCTOBER 20: Race winner Charles Leclerc of Monaco and Ferrari celebrates on the — Leclerc shone as he took victory in Austin

Leclerc’s form has been strong and 98 points since the summer break matches the score that Norris has achieved over the past five races, so they have both also outscored Verstappen by 21 points in that time.

The gap from Leclerc to Verstappen is 79 points so it’s an extremely tall order with so few races left – he’d need to outscore the leader by an average of 16 points per race weekend – but having taken two wins in the past four races, and Ferrari showing very competitive race pace on a number of different circuits, you can’t quite rule him out as the season heads towards its conclusion.

The Constructors’ Championship

We’re only talking about the Drivers’ Championship above but in the constructors’ standings there are definitely three teams in with a chance of taking the title with five rounds to go.

Ferrari’s 43-point haul from their one-two finish in Austin has put them right in the fight, closing the gap to second-placed Red Bull to just eight points. McLaren have a bit of a buffer over the pair with a 40-point lead over the defending champions, and while they outscored Red Bull they saw Ferrari get 27 points closer over Saturday and Sunday at the Circuit of The Americas.

AUSTIN, TEXAS - OCTOBER 20: Lando Norris of Great Britain driving the (4) McLaren MCL38 Mercedes on — McLaren have a bit of a buffer in the constructors' standings but saw Ferrari get 27 points closer in the US

The gaps are smaller and, with two cars able to score, the overall returns are bigger in the Constructors’ Championship, so with 250 points still on the table the top three teams all have their eyes set on trying to claim the title.

In Mexico they’ll need to get it right on a track that provides another very different test to the rest of the season, as the high altitude creates a situation where the cars are running at maximum downforce but getting far less of the effect due to the air density. It’s often likened to a Monaco set-up that provides a Monza-style downforce level, and drivers have to battle with the low levels of grip.

Perez facing a big weekend

One driver who will be particularly keen to perform well this weekend is Sergio Perez, who returns to race in front of his incredible home fans in Mexico City.

There was a stage in the season when Perez’s future was uncertain but Red Bull have stuck by him, and were very nearly rewarded with a big result in Azerbaijan before a final lap crash with Carlos Sainz ended both of their races.

AUSTIN, TEXAS - OCTOBER 20: Sergio Perez of Mexico and Oracle Red Bull Racing takes a photo with — Perez will have plenty of support from his home crowd in Mexico City

Those missed points have proven costly as Perez has scored just 47 points since the Miami Grand Prix – a run of 13 races – compared to 103 in the first six rounds. That return means the pressure is remaining on his seat in the face of the mounting challenge from McLaren and Ferrari in the constructors’ standings.

Perez will have enormous support to draw upon this weekend but that also comes with added distractions and expectations. Having retired on the opening lap of this race last year, it would be the perfect time to replicate the form from Baku and score some big points.

TECH WEEKLY: Inside the Red Bull upgrade that helped Verstappen to Sprint victory in Austin

Rookies on the rise

Another reason the pressure is rising when it comes to Perez’s seat is because of the return of Liam Lawson at RB.

Lawson impressed as a substitute driver last year, and Red Bull team principal Christian Horner admitted recently that his promotion in place of Daniel Ricciardo is with the future in mind, to see who the team might turn to if it ever needs a replacement for Perez.

Against that backdrop, Lawson did an excellent job to recover from a power unit penalty that left him 19th on the grid in Austin. He climbed through with that fresh unit to finish ninth and score two points in his first race back, drawing significant praise from Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko.

AUSTIN, TEXAS - OCTOBER 20: Liam Lawson of New Zealand and Visa Cash App RB looks on from the — It was a triumphant first race weekend back for Lawson as he bagged two points

One of the cars Lawson managed to beat was also continuing an extremely impressive run, though, as Franco Colapinto scored again in 10th place for Williams. That’s two top-10 results for Colapinto in his first four races since replacing Logan Sargeant, and in the other two grands prix he has finished 11th and 12th.

The pair are showing exciting potential despite their mid-season call-ups to the grid, and putting themselves on the radar for further opportunities in 2025.

Special appearances in FP1

Two drivers who know they have opportunities ahead of them are Kimi Antonelli and Ollie Bearman, who will race for Mercedes and Haas respectively next season.

As part of their preparations, both will get behind the wheel during FP1 in Mexico City, and while for Antonelli it will mean a second outing for Mercedes after his Monza debut, Bearman will do his first FP1 for Ferrari. He raced in place of Carlos Sainz in Saudi Arabia earlier this year but only took over the car from FP3 onwards, and his other FP1 runs have been with Haas.

There will be plenty of interested observers in how they get on but they will struggle to overshadow another FP1 driver on Friday, as Pato O’Ward also gets another chance to drive for McLaren.

It will be the first time IndyCar star O’Ward has driven in the race weekend at his home race – with previous outings coming in Abu Dhabi – and it is sure to create another epic atmosphere at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez from the first minute of track running.