Ferrari has introduced two cooling modifications to its SF-26 for the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix, with the FIA confirming that the Maranello team has enlarged the rear bodywork outlet and added cooling louvres to the upper sidepods. Both changes are designed to improve power unit heat dissipation, but they come with an acknowledged reduction in aerodynamic efficiency.
The Italian team is among six Formula 1 constructors to declare technical updates for the weekend at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull, Racing Bulls, Audi and Alpine have submitted a combined nine modifications, six of which directly address cooling requirements. The emphasis reflects the exceptional demands of a circuit situated 2,238 metres above sea level.
Ferrari’s Mexico GP upgrades target the SF-26’s cooling limitations
Following the more substantial development work introduced at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Ferrari has adopted a different technical approach in Mexico. Rather than presenting another package intended primarily to increase aerodynamic performance, the Scuderia has concentrated on ensuring that its existing car can operate effectively in the challenging high-altitude conditions.
The first modification concerns the engine cover. Ferrari has enlarged the rear bodywork exit, creating a bigger opening through which hot air can escape. This increases the car’s ability to reject heat from the power unit and its associated cooling systems, compensating for the lower air density encountered at the Mexican venue.
The second change involves the upper section of the sidepods, where additional louvred cooling panels have been introduced. These openings provide another route for hot air to leave the bodywork, further increasing the available cooling capacity.
Both modifications are officially classified as circuit-specific cooling measures. Their purpose is to address the particular thermal requirements of Mexico City rather than to generate additional downforce.
Importantly, Ferrari has acknowledged the aerodynamic cost of these changes. Enlarging the cooling outlets improves heat rejection but reduces aerodynamic efficiency, creating a compromise between thermal management and the performance of the car’s external airflow.
The changes underline the cooling and grip challenges facing Ferrari at the 2026 Mexico Grand Prix, where the combination of altitude and unusual aerodynamic conditions requires careful configuration choices.
Why Mexico City’s altitude is forcing Formula 1 teams to change their cars
At 2,238 metres above sea level, the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez presents one of the most distinctive technical challenges on the Formula 1 calendar. The reduced density of the air affects both aerodynamic performance and the efficiency of the systems responsible for removing heat from the car.
For the cooling system, thinner air makes it more difficult to dissipate the heat produced by the power unit. Teams can compensate by increasing the size or number of cooling openings, allowing more air to pass through the radiators and escape from the bodywork.
However, those changes can also disrupt the airflow around the car, reducing aerodynamic efficiency. Engineers must therefore balance the requirement to keep temperatures under control against the need to preserve aerodynamic performance.
This explains why cooling modifications account for six of the nine updates declared for Mexico. With the championship approaching its final stages, the emphasis has shifted away from the extensive aerodynamic development packages seen at Austin and towards extracting the best performance from the existing cars under circuit-specific conditions.
For Ferrari, the decision is particularly relevant after the encouraging response to its final SF-26 development package at Austin. Mexico now demands a different balance between outright aerodynamic efficiency and the thermal requirements of the car.
McLaren and Red Bull also enlarge cooling openings for Mexico
Ferrari is not alone in modifying its cooling configuration. McLaren has introduced enlarged and reshaped bodywork louvres, extending the openings further towards the front of the car to improve power unit heat rejection.
The British team’s modification is specifically intended for the demands of Mexico City. It is not presented as a direct aerodynamic performance upgrade, but as an adjustment needed to restore cooling capacity in the thinner air.
Red Bull has also increased the available cooling area by enlarging the engine-cover louvres and providing additional optional openings. This reliability-focused update is intended to improve airflow through the radiators and recover some of the cooling effectiveness lost because of the altitude.
However, Red Bull has also declared a second modification with a different objective. The team has revised the sidepod geometry and the separation line where the sidepod meets the floor, aiming to improve airflow beneath the radiator duct inlet.
Unlike its cooling changes, this is a performance-focused aerodynamic development. The revised geometry is intended to generate additional local downforce without compromising the stability of the car.
Racing Bulls introduces two cooling changes
Racing Bulls has followed a similar thermal management approach, declaring two changes designed specifically for Mexico’s demanding conditions.
The first involves an enlarged upper rear bodywork outlet, increasing the area available for hot air to leave the car. The purpose is to improve power unit heat rejection and meet the circuit’s unusually high cooling requirements.
The second modification provides an additional cooling-louvre configuration in the front section of the bodywork. This increases the team’s available options for managing airflow through the radiators when operating under difficult thermal conditions.
Neither change has been declared as an aerodynamic downforce development. Both are intended to expand the car’s cooling capabilities rather than directly increase performance through aerodynamic modifications.
Audi targets rear downforce while Alpine revises exhaust winglet
While most teams have prioritised cooling, Audi has introduced a modification aimed specifically at aerodynamic performance. The update concerns the rear brake duct deflector, which has received a revised geometry intended to increase local downforce around the rear of the car.
The change makes use of the aerodynamic contribution of the components surrounding the rear wheel. By refining the airflow in this area, Audi aims to improve the car’s overall aerodynamic performance, continuing the development work undertaken at previous rounds.
Alpine, meanwhile, has submitted a smaller modification classified as a reliability update. The team has reshaped the exhaust tailpipe winglet, adapting its profile to the environmental and aerodynamic conditions expected in Mexico.
The revised component represents a circuit-specific adjustment rather than a declared attempt to increase aerodynamic performance. Its purpose is to ensure that the existing configuration is better suited to the demands of the Mexican venue.
Full list of FIA-declared upgrades for the 2026 Mexico GP
The FIA’s technical submissions identify the following nine updates across six teams:
- Ferrari – Engine cover: Enlarged rear bodywork outlet to increase engine cooling capacity, at the expense of aerodynamic efficiency.
- Ferrari – Cooling louvres: Additional panels on the upper sidepods to improve power unit heat rejection, also at an aerodynamic efficiency cost.
- McLaren – Cooling louvres: Enlarged, reshaped openings extended towards the front to increase cooling capacity.
- Red Bull – Engine cover: Enlarged existing louvres and additional optional openings to improve radiator airflow and cooling reliability.
- Red Bull – Sidepods: Revised sidepod geometry and floor junction to improve airflow and increase local downforce without compromising stability.
- Racing Bulls – Rear bodywork: Enlarged upper rear cooling outlet to improve engine heat rejection.
- Racing Bulls – Cooling louvres: Additional front-area louvre configuration to improve radiator airflow.
- Audi – Rear corner: Revised rear brake duct deflector geometry to generate more local downforce and improve aerodynamic performance.
- Alpine – Exhaust tailpipe: Reshaped exhaust winglet profile adapted to the circuit’s specific conditions, classified as a reliability measure.
Five constructors have not declared any technical updates for the Mexican weekend: Mercedes, Williams, Aston Martin, Haas and Cadillac.
Ferrari accepts aerodynamic compromise in search of better thermal management
The FIA submissions illustrate how the demands of Mexico City have influenced the development priorities of Formula 1 teams. Where Austin encouraged several constructors to introduce significant aerodynamic upgrades, Mexico has required many of them to concentrate on cooling capacity and operational reliability.
Ferrari’s two declared changes are particularly clear examples of that approach. By accepting a reduction in aerodynamic efficiency, the Maranello team is prioritising the SF-26’s ability to dissipate heat under the circuit’s unusual conditions.
The effectiveness of those choices will depend on how the cooling configuration performs alongside the car’s wider aerodynamic package. The different characteristics of the Mexican venue make this an important examination of how well Ferrari can adapt its existing machinery after its recent development work.
For the Scuderia, the key objective is to strike the right compromise between protecting the power unit and preserving the aerodynamic performance needed to remain competitive throughout the Mexico City Grand Prix weekend.
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