Ian Spencer: So the most reliable car all year must go wrong because it hasn't yet? And Ferrari are magically going to have 100% reliability? Hmm.

David Milner: Want Lewis to win the title by winning the race but not the ideal circuit for Merc. DNF not withstanding it's gonna happen, though. Lewis to win, Hartley to improve, Max to get on the podium and Perez to complain and finish behind Ocon. Oh, and McLaren to do well

BBC Radio 5 live sports extra

And practice session one is under way. You can listen along on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra by pressing the play button at the top of this page right now.

Some colourful (and terrifying) crash helmets for Australian Daniel Ricciardo this weekend.

More quotes from Hamilton on Daniel Ricciardo.

"I don’t truly necessarily believe that people want to be up alongside me because that is not always necessarily the best thing for an individual. But in some cases it could be a really good thing because it can help you grow.

“You look at Daniel, he’s got a great driver in his team-mate and, to be honest, he has got to really work to outperform him first. You’ve always got to beat the person you’re with first before you can look at competing against someone else and beating them. That’s just my personal opinion.

“I already feel like I’ve raced against the best here, which in my personal opinion is Fernando. We have a great driver in Valtteri, who I’m enjoying racing with.

"There are a lot of great drivers here who I would be happy to race against. I don’t mind who I race against, anyone in the world, as long as there is some how you’re able to maintain positivity in the team and hopefully you’re still fighting another team as well. I think that harmony is incredibly important for everyone to be enjoying what they do.”

Image source, Getty Images

Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer

With all the top drives taken for 2018, attention is already focusing on 2019, and particularly on Daniel Ricciardo. Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen are contracted to their teams until the end of 2020 and Lewis Hamilton is expected to sign a new contract to take him beyond 2018.

But Ricciardo is a free agent after next year, and there are increasing rumblings that he could join Hamilton at Mercedes. Ricciardo has said he would like to test himself against Hamilton. Team boss Toto Wolff is known to be an admirer, notably of the Australian’s driving but also of his easy-going personality. Hamilton spoke about Ricciardo on Thursday - and the answer was both effusive and fascinating, and worth recording in full.

“Daniel is a fantastic driver, it would be a privilege to race against him,” Hamilton said. "He’s a great character. He always bring a lot of positivity within his team. I think it’s interesting, I think it’s cool, I take the compliment that people say they [want to race against me]."

Image source, Getty Images

And this is the man in question. He finished fourth in Mexico last year, can he get on the podium this time around?

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Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer

The controversy over Max Verstappen’s demotion from third to fourth before he had even stood on the podium last weekend continues to rumble in Mexico.

Verstappen has said he regrets the language he used - calling an unnamed steward an “idiot”, particularly, along with a very disparaging remark he made in Dutch about mental disability - but not the sentiment. And he did not apologise. “I’m not going to hold back or lie,” he said. I’m just straightforward.”

Charlie Whiting, the F1 director of governing body the FIA, said “it would be nice if he did”. Later, the apology did come, via his Instagram feed. He said the comments were “in the heat of the moment”, “inappropriate”, “not directed at any one person” and he “certainly did not mean to cause offence”. He concluded: “I hope we can move on.”

Image source, Getty Images

As always we want your thoughts on all the action.

A simple question to get us going this weekend.

Simply tell us who is your favourite Formula 1 driver of all time and why? It can be any era and any reason.

Tweet us using the hashtag #bbcf1 and we will stick those messages in this page throughout the afternoon.

A nice sunny day in Mexico City. Well, nice for the fans, maybe less comfortable for the drivers.

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Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer

What is Sebastian Vettel’s optimism based on? Well, firstly, he’s a sportsman and he has to work on the basis of it’s not over until it’s over. That’s just how it works. But beyond that, there are two key issues.

One, Hamilton has not had a retirement or technical failure all year - and the odds dictate that he is unlikely to get through the season like that. Secondly, this ought to be a Ferrari track. Despite the long straights, the high altitude means teams run maximum downforce in Mexico.

Mercedes have struggled at all high-downforce tracks this year - Monaco, Hungary, Singapore - and are concerned about their competitiveness this weekend. But then Mercedes were not expected to be as dominant as they were in Austin last week.

And Vettel is not taking anything for granted. “On paper it should be a good race,” he says, “but you need to get the rhythm. Hopefully we will have a better race than last time.”

Image source, Getty Images

Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer

Sebastian Vettel is still not accepting the inevitable in terms of the championship. “We still have a chance,” insists Vettel, channeling the same optimism that saw him take unlikely title wins in 2010 and 2012 from a long way back - albeit from nowhere near as bad a position as this.

“It is not in our hands as much we’d like to. But it would be a wasted opportunity if we say there is no way we can do it. There is a way. A lot of things need to happen but sometimes these things do happen. We are coming here.

"We try to win. In theory, it should be better here. Let’s see if that’s the case. Last week was a bit tough. The race was a bit tough. We found a thing that wasn’t right but I think overall we have the equipment to win.”

Image source, Getty Images

Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer

It’s got to be this weekend. Hasn’t it? Lewis Hamilton only needs a fifth-place finish in Mexico City on Sunday to clinch his fourth world title, and that’s assuming Sebastian Vettel wins the race.

Second for Vettel lowers Hamilton’s requirements to ninth. Any other result and Hamilton is automatically champion. And given that he has only finished lower than fifth once all year - at Monaco, where he started 12th and overtaking is virtually impossible - it’s hard to imagine him not achieving that.

Despite that, though, Hamilton insists he has “not really thought about it that much to be honest”. He said he had been enjoying his dominant performance in Austin last weekend and was “really just focused on trying to do the same again”.

He did admit, though, that “it would be cool if we did. I do plan to. A lot things can come into it. If you build anticipation and expectation, you can easily be disappointed. I can tell you I plan to drive as well as I did last week. I hope we are on form as much as last week so I can deliver that kind of performance.”

Image source, Getty Images

These are the numbers that matter this weekend as Hamilton only needs a fifth-placed finish to secure the title.

That, of course, is dependant on Sebastian Vettel winning the race. If Vettel comes second, then Hamilton will still be celebrating if he finishes inside the top nine.

If Vettel comes outside the top two then Hamilton will be champion no matter what.

Image source, .

Hello and welcome to BBC Sport's live text commentary for the first two practice sessions of the Mexican Grand Prix.

"It will be cool if I win it this weekend and I plan on winning it this weekend."

Lewis Hamilton is on the verge of sealing his fourth world title after a perfect weekend in Austin last time out.

By Sunday night he could well have another world title.

Image source, Getty Images