Parc Ferme: It’s empty without Max

Since Parc Ferme's start time was midnight, the plan was to watch the opening laps and retire early. Instead, I stayed up until the wee hours, even watching the interviews and podium ceremony.

The only reason I even considered watching was the fact that Max Verstappen had only qualified in fifth place.

The rationale was simple. After the COTA Formula 1 snooze fest in Austin a week earlier, Mrs. Parc Ferme was moved to say that when Max qualifies on pole, the races are boring.

I pointed out that she was saying he makes or breaks the Grand Prix. “Yes” was the reply. To put this into context, she is a Belgian and no fan of the Dutch racer.

As far as she’s concerned, he turned his back on his Belgian heritage and ‘took 30 pieces of silver from the Dutch’. As a fully paid-up member of the “Lewis ‘till I die” club, I was not expecting such recognition.

Curious, I was moved to enquire into the reasoning behind her thinking. Essentially, she explained that when Max qualified on pole, he invariably entered Turn 1 first and then left the building, leaving a static grid order in his wake.

However, when he qualified further back, things happened. The logic of her analysis resonated with me, and with this in mind, we made the effort to forgo some sleep and watch.

Many would argue that there are still multiple position changes in a race when Max disappears into the sunset. However, they are either temporary due to offset tyre strategies and degradation or irrelevant as they involve the rear end of the grid.

At the pointy end, it feels like there is little movement. Most of the recent position changes here seem to be courtesy of Ferrari punching above its weight in qualifying.

Whatever the truth of the matter is, it’s irrelevant; perception is fact, and I doubt Mrs. Parc Ferme is alone in her evaluation.

Of course, Max’s antics were not the only entertainment in Mexico. The final order of the top five behind Lando Norris went down to the last laps.

Only a knee-jerk Virtual Safety Car was able to preserve Charles Leclerc’s second-place spot from Verstappen, and Ollie Bearman’s courageous fourth place from a more “racy” Oscar Piastri.

However, if nothing else, it underlined Mrs. Parc Ferme’s assessment of the Max effect. If he doesn't start at the front, his relentless pursuit of victory breaks the stalemate and creates opportunity for others.

Bearman’s finishing position was primarily due to a fortuitous opening lap melee, one that may not have happened if it hadn’t been for Max charging from the back…