The Mexican GP for the past five years has been a hunting ground for Red Bull and Mercedes. The world champion team has won three times (in 2017, 2018 and last season), the German side two times (2016 and 2019) considering that in 2020 there was no race in Mexico City due to COVID. Meanwhile, had to sit back and watch, unable to challenge for race wins at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace
The Mexican circuit is a strange one because it has a characteristic that is not found in any other track in the Formula 1 world championship: the event takes place at over 2,200 meters above sea level and the air is very thin, so the teams are forced to resort to specific configurations that attempt to limit the loss in terms of performance, while also making sure there will be no reliability problems.
From the thousand horsepower of the Formula 1 power units, up to 120 horsepower can be lost, while if you evaluate the aerodynamic efficiency of an F1 at sea level as 100, it drops to just over 70. It is clear that actions must be taken to make the most of the potential available.
Over time, Red Bull has benefited from a single-seater that was the opposite of the RB18 devoted to maximum aerodynamic efficiency: Adrian Newey’s previous cars were very fast in corners, thanks to the use of the rake set-up, and were less brilliant on the straights, where it was Mercedes that unleashed the peaks of maximum speed, but they had much more downforce thanks to the more efficient car body.
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Not only that, but the Honda turbo, with a larger compressor than the competition, had allowed to limit the loss of power, having a more prompt response of the supercharging system thanks to the greater compressed air.
With the introduction of the ground-effect single-seaters, the values have definitely changed: Red Bull has become a much more efficient car that is able to race with significantly less loaded wings and shows speeds unattainable for anyone else at the end of the straight. Will they be able to adequately load the RB18 in Mexico to express the necessary downforce and be dominant also in this race?
The question is interesting, because this time it is Ferrari and Mercedes who are more comfortable in the slow sections and could take advantage of the characteristics of the F1-75 and the W13 to find a moment of glory in Mexico.
The simulations of the Prancing Horse, in fact, have given positive indications and, perhaps in different conditions of use than usual, Ferrari may not be the only one to suffer tire degradation due to the now usual overheating issues during the race, which are instead well masked in the qualifying flying lap on Saturday.
Regarding the turbo use, Honda retains the most suitable solution for thin air, while Ferrari this year approved a slightly smaller turbocharging system, aimed at reaching an engine speed of only 100,000 rpm, without reaching the limit granted by the regulation (125,000 rpm) to aim for a shorter loss in response time and ensure that acceleration out of corners that is enhanced by excellent traction.
In Mexico, downforce recovery should have a greater value than loss of power: if the Maranello technicians find a good setup compromise, it might not seem like a blasphemy to hope for the F1-75 fighting for the race win, which has been missing from the distant Austrian Grand Prix back in July.
Mercedes also has some hopes, after making a good impression in Austin: the W13, being a car that Toto Wolff called equipped with a parachute due to the drag it generates, for once in a while it could benefit from what is in fact an issue, making it more attractive to the Mexican circuit. The team from Brackley will also benefit from the new revised and corrected front wing.
Track action begins later today, with the first free practice session in Mexico City.
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