Ferrari: power unit limited by 6 tenths. Mercedes recovered 8 tenths deficit to F1-75 since TD39. Mercedes recovered 8 tenths deficit to F1-75 since TD39.

Saturday in Mexico City was marked by a Mercedes team that returned to the top and was able to challenge Red Bull for pole position at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, while Scuderia Ferrari, for the first time this season was nowhere near close to fighting for a place on the front row in qualifying.

On Friday the work done by the Maranello team was conspicuous, despite the problems encountered. In the first run in FP1, Charles Leclerc suffered a puncture on the Hard compound, thus stopping immediately in the pits where the technicians also carried out additional checks. On the other hand, in FP2 – which was dedicated to Pirelli tests – the Monegasque hit the wall after a spin at the end of the fast ‘snake’ in the second sector, ending his session early. Between the two sessions, the technicians opted to unload the rear wing slightly, switching from the high-load specification of Barcelona to the medium-high load specification of Bahrain. Choice confirmed then, somewhat surprisingly, also on Saturday.

The problem that Ferrari faced on Saturday, however, was that of a very penalizing understeer in all sectors. “There is a lot of understeer and the car does not turn,” Charles Leclerc complained over the radio, exposing a limit that is clearly visible from the onboards. This issue made it more difficult to attack the snake, in which the F1-75 breaks down attacking the curbs at high speed, but it is above all the third sector in which time is lost.

According to FIA accredited Formula 1 journalist Giuliano Duchessa, after the introduction of Technical Directive 39, the Mercedes W13 has become less moody, the developments (almost all) have worked. Ferrari, on the other hand, has worsened a lot in terms of grip so it takes a lot of km to center the tuning, while at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez the power unit remains limited by at least 6 tenths. Mexico showing well who has +DWF.

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In the fight for second place in the Constructors Standings, Scuderia Ferrari has worsened by 4 tenths, while Mercedes has improved by 4 tenths. They are 8 tenths earned in compare, while the Red Bull car ran away. Now the W13 can be at the level of the F1-75, especially when there are fewer differences in power.