The world championship outcome may be a foregone conclusion but there are plenty of other talking points of note at this weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix.

All over bar the shouting

There could hardly be less doubt over the destination of this year’s world drivers’ championship. Yes, theoretically there are still three drivers in the hunt, but the two who aren’t Andrea Kimi Antonelli realistically need him not to score in the next four consecutive races to still be in with a shot come the final round.

On top of that, consider that at least one of the remaining rounds might not go ahead anyway. In which case even this flimsy conjecture is moot, and the championship is already Antonelli’s.

But if, as seems almost certain, he does win the title this weekend, what a venue to do it at. If the remodelled Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez has one thing going for it, it’s the joyous theatre of F1 fever which greets drivers in the stadium at the end of the race.

Optional turn one

The opening trio of corners on the Mexico City track has been a trouble spot since Hermann Tilke’s designers reworked the layout for the race’s return in 2015. The tight corner configuration and generous run-off area make it easy for drivers to abuse track limits at this point on the track.

Last year’s start was a particularly egregious example as multiple drivers arguably benefitted from cutting the corner. Max Verstappen’s approach to it gave every indication he never intended to stay within the track’s boundaries.

Will race control take note and put stricter measures in place? There was little sign this was a priority in Austin last weekend, where track limits have long been a problem.

At least two drivers will make their debuts in an F1 practice session this weekend. Audi’s promising rookie Freddie Slater, who finished second in Formula 3 this year, will take over Gabriel Bortoleto’s car for first practice. Alpine’s Gabriele Mini will be in Franco Colapinto’s car.

Several of the regular practice session drivers will also appear: Frederik Vesti at Mercedes, Luke Browning at Williams and Ryo Hirakawa at Haas. Some teams are yet to confirm their plans.

Mexico versus Lawson

Liam Lawson was at the centre of a bizarre incident last year when he had the misfortune to encounter two marshals on track. Incredibly, Mexico’s automobile club accused the blameless driver of being responsible for the oversight.

The FIA later made it clear Lawson had done nothing wrong. Hopefully there is no repeat of either administrative slip-up this year.

Perez hits 300

Last year’s Mexican Grand Prix was the first without a home driver since the event returned to the calendar. But Sergio Perez is back on the grid this year and will mark his 300th start in front of his home crowd.

Expect the usual huge cheers for the Guadalajaran. However the hope of a points finish looks as remote as ever. Indeed, the combination of high cooling demands and several heavy braking points could aggravate one of Cadillac’s most obvious weaknesses.

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