Ferrari has adopted an unusually open cooling configuration on its SF-26 ahead of the first free practice session for the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix, highlighting the challenge of keeping the car within safe operating temperatures at high altitude. Sky Sports F1 analyst Bernie Collins identified the particularly open cooling louvres towards the rear of the Ferrari, explaining that the team appears to be prioritising cooling before assessing whether it can recover aerodynamic performance during the weekend.
The observation reveals an important compromise facing Ferrari in Mexico City. While additional cooling openings can help manage temperatures, they also come with an aerodynamic penalty. The challenge for the Italian team is therefore to establish how much cooling the SF-26 genuinely requires without giving away more downforce than necessary.
Bernie Collins highlights Ferrari’s unusually open cooling louvres
Speaking ahead of the opening practice session, Bernie Collins drew attention to the configuration at the rear of the Ferrari, noting that the openings were noticeably larger than those normally seen on the car.
“The cooling louvers at the back of the Ferrari are very open, much more than we normally see,” she explained during Sky Sports F1’s coverage.
Her observation is particularly relevant at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, where the high altitude presents a different cooling challenge from that encountered at many other Formula 1 circuits.
With the air less dense at altitude, achieving sufficient cooling becomes more difficult. Teams must therefore pay particular attention to how effectively they can manage the temperatures of their cars throughout a session.
For Ferrari, the notably open louvres suggest a cautious initial configuration rather than an attempt to maximise aerodynamic efficiency from the very beginning of the weekend.
Why Ferrari’s Mexico GP cooling setup could cost downforce
The most interesting aspect of the configuration is the relationship between cooling and aerodynamic performance. Additional openings provide a route for hot air to escape from within the bodywork, but they also disrupt the airflow around the car.
Bernie Collins made that trade-off clear when explaining why the opening session could be particularly important for Ferrari.
“There is a lot of concern about cooling at this high altitude. The teams will start FP1 in a safe location in the hope that they go through the session, pick up the data and close it up because every louver is a loss of downforce.”
Her explanation points towards a gradual approach to finding the appropriate cooling configuration. Rather than immediately running the smallest possible openings, teams can begin with a more conservative setup, monitor the temperatures and then determine whether there is scope to reduce the cooling outlets.
For the SF-26, closing some of the louvres could offer an aerodynamic benefit. However, such a change would depend on the cooling data collected and whether the car could continue operating within acceptable temperature limits.
The unusual configuration does not, by itself, establish that Ferrari has a cooling problem. It does, however, underline the importance of assessing the car’s thermal behaviour before committing to a potentially more aggressive aerodynamic setup.
FP1 data could determine Ferrari’s next cooling decision
The opening practice session will therefore be valuable for reasons beyond conventional lap-time comparisons. Ferrari needs information about how the SF-26 behaves in Mexico City’s conditions before deciding whether its cooling arrangement can be tightened.
Bernie Collins’ comments suggest that starting with relatively large cooling openings may allow the team to collect that information while reducing the risk associated with insufficient cooling.
If the data supports a less open configuration, Ferrari could potentially recover some of the downforce sacrificed by its initial arrangement. If the cooling demands remain high, maintaining the larger outlets could prove necessary despite the aerodynamic disadvantage.
That distinction matters because the size of the openings alone cannot establish how much performance the team is losing. No numerical downforce deficit or lap-time penalty has been established from the observations made ahead of practice.
The immediate question for Ferrari is whether the unusually open louvres represent only a cautious starting point or a configuration that the SF-26 will need to retain as the Mexico City Grand Prix weekend progresses. The data collected during FP1 should provide the first opportunity to evaluate that compromise.
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