Mexico City sits at 2,285 meters above sea level, which means that altitude is everything at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
The elevated environment and its thinner air have a surprisingly large effect on many elements of an F1 car, changing how it performs and operates.
First and foremost, this means less power, with a unit’s turbo charger required to work harder to maintain consistent air pressure in the engine.
The rarefied air also means there’s an increased demand for cooling systems.
Additionally, the lower air density contributes to decreased downforce on the track, diminishing a car’s grip level, which presents a complex puzzle for the engineering teams.
In absolute terms, the circuit is the lowest downforce circuit of the year – less than Monza! Yet teams run as much downforce as they can within their aero package.
But with lower drag comes faster speeds, and cars usually reach their maximum velocity of the season down the track’s long 1.2km main straight, which also provides drivers with timey overtaking opportunities.
Looking at the speed trap readings from Saturday’s qualifying, Daniel Ricciardo’s AlphaTauri clocked in at a cool 353.8 km/h. Hopefully the Aussie, who qualified an impressive P4, will put his top speed to bag some good points.
Among the front-runners, Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen were neck-to-neck down the main straight, but also over the entire lap.
Once again, the differentiator in Sunday’s race will likely be tyre degradation, a domain where Red Bull holds a clear advantage over the Scuderia, which suggests another slam dunk for Max barring any unforeseen circumstances.
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Two more noteworthy pieces of info can be extracted from the readings.
Firstly, the most slippery car in the field, the Williams FW45, was a relative laggard in terms of top speed in qualifying and also in Sector 1 which consists of two straights. Herewith perhaps lies the reason for Alex Albon’s disappointing P14 performance in qualifying.
Secondly, the peaky and inconsistent behaviour of Mercedes’ car isn’t its only issue in Mexico City. Hamilton and Russell were also short on straight-line speed in Saturday’s session. The combination of these two characteristics does not bode well for the Brackley squad's afternoon.
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