MEXICO GRAND PRIX - MAX THE UNTOUCHABLE AGAIN, AS TEAM MERCEDES' CHALLENGE FADED, AGAIN.

 

A Very Big Congratulations to Max Verstappen and Team Red Bull making it yet another emphatic win at the 2022 Formula 1 Grand Prix.  

With Team Mercedes, while enabling Hamilton to achieve a strong P.2, most probably due to adopting the wrong tyre and race strategy, depriving him of the chance of competing for the win.

A Big Congratulations to Hamilton and Team Red Bull for making it to P.2, and to Sergio Perez and Team Red Bull for making it to P.3.

And so was the stage set for Verstappen and his Team to establish a new Formula 1 record; that of Max having won the most consecutive Formula 1 races. 

It has been reported that Team Mercedes' boss, Toto Wolff, was annoyed that neither Hamilton nor Russell were able to win Pole position in Qualifying. 

And yet, judging by the rather disappointing, even if not entirely surprising outcome of the race, there cannot have been any evidential reasons to think that either Lewis or George would have had the pace to convert a Pole into a race win. 

While it is the case that Team Mercedes has clearly improved the quality of their cars. 

It is also a fact that they have demonstrably not made enough improvements to lay down the required sustainable wheel to wheel challenge to Team Red Bull's undoubtable seasonal dominance. 

Whereas Team Red Bull and Hamilton and George might be able to prepare and 'pick a fight' with Red Bull and Max at circuits they believe would provide them with 'an advantage' over their adversary. 

Team Red Bull and Max have the capability to dominate any and all circuits.

This being the case, even when we consider how it was that Max's team mate, Sergio Perez, was not able to prevail over Hamilton. 

Whereas Max was able to increase his lead over Hamilton, from under two seconds to over 14 seconds by the end of the race.

And so it was that, while Team Red Bull and Team Mercedes were the 'top cars' during the Mexican Grand Prix, and proved their relative dominance and strength by taking P.1 and 3 and P.2, respectively. 

Much or most of the entertainment from the race was provided by the lower order teams and racers.

Quite simply, with Ferrari's competition with Team Red Bull having failed, and with Team Mercedes having rather dismally failed to join the competition in the now effectively completed 2022 Season.  

There is more value and entertainment to be had from focussing our attention to the competition between the teams and racers in the lower order of the hierarchy.

As we look forward to the 2023 Formula One season, we should probably be more realistic than we have been in 2021 about what  Team Mercedes would have achieved in their 2022 season.