Red Bull's Christian Horner is hoping for the best when the lights go off in Mexico but Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is expecting the worse on the run through Turn 1 after the start.
The Mexican Grand Prix is set up for a battle royal between the front-running trio of teams, and one that will likely begin in the first few corners of the race.
Red Bull's lock-out of the front row promises a thrilling multi-car duel down to Turn 1, but as a priority Horner wants his driver to remain out of trouble and work together to keep their rivals at bay after the launch from the grid.
"Synchronise driving down to Turn 1 and drive as wide as you can against that Ferrari and Mercedes on the drag race down to Turn 1," replied Horner when asked by Sky F1 what he will tell his drivers to do Sunday afternoon.
"We saw in Japan when Sebastian was behind Max, we saw Sebastian on Daniel in Austin last weekend, it [the Ferrari] is so strong in a straight line. And it is the same with Lewis.
"They have to be more focused on what those guys are doing than too focused on themselves. We will discuss all these things in the [pre-race] briefing."
Horner insisted that Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen would be free to race, but he would also remind them that as a matter of principle a victory isn't conquered in the first corner.
"They are free to race, but they have to keep it clean," he said. "The race isn't going to be won in the first corner, it is all about looking after these tyres.
"They are fragile as hell as we can see, and it will be about making sure we have a strategy that can stay ahead of the Ferrari and Mercedes."
Silver Arrows boss Toto Wolff admitted to being more wary of the events that could possibly unfold at the start.
"The grid has the potential for carnage on the straight and through the first corners," said the Austrian.
"You have the two Red Bulls, who have the least straight-line speed, in the front row, then it’s us and the Ferraris, who are obviously almost 10kph up to everybody else.
"So I try to visualise how that could look down the straight and through the first corner and I hope we just come out of it with two cars intact."
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