How Ferrari revised aero configuration for high-altitude GP in Mexico City. How Ferrari revised aero configuration for Mexico City.

There is a lot of anticipation in Mexico City for what Scuderia Ferrari will be able to do over the South American weekend. The Italian side is aware that it is moving towards the most favorable event of the final part of the season and it is justified that many people are keeping a close eye on the SF21 cars in the paddock.

The red car was adapted to meet the needs of a very particular track like that of the Rodriguez brothers. It is not so much the configuration of the track, as the altitude that requires specific interventions to counteract the thinning of the air which occurs at an altitude of over 2,200 meters.

The Ferrari technicians are convinced that the power gap of the thermal engine from Mercedes and Honda will not be so big, since the 6-cylinder will lose power due to the less dense air, but the turbo-compressor will compensate for the drop in horsepower which will be forced to run longer near the limit of 150,000 rpm and the new hybrid system, a plus on which Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz can rely to fight with McLaren for third place in the Constructors’ championship.

In order not to undermine the reliability of the 065/6 evo power unit, the engineers decided to approve the engine hood that opens like a megaphone at the tail, with the maximum ability to extract heat at the cost of worsening aerodynamic efficiency.

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For the less dense air, the aerodynamicists use a configuration of maximum aerodynamic load, so the greater drag will not be as penalizing as if you were racing at sea level, so much so that the cars will reach speeds on the straights which could be superior to those of Monza, the “temple of speed”.

In Maranello they also chose completely closed brake ducts, a sign that there is no need to help warm the tires by radiating the heat from the rims, while the range of brake ducts intended for cooling pads has been revised precisely to combat the effects of thin air which leads to slightly lengthening the braking distances.