27/10/2022
NEWS STORY
Haas F1 Team has headed from the United States to Mexico for Round 20 of the 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship, the Mexico City Grand Prix.
The Autodromo Magdalena Mixhuca first played host to Formula 1 in the 1960s, with the venue - located in the eastern districts of the sprawling Mexico City - subsequently renamed in honor of Mexico's famous racing brothers Pedro and Ricardo Rodriguez. The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez has had three stints on Formula 1's calendar and its most recent spell began in 2015, when it made a popular return to the schedule.
A year later Haas F1 Team got its first taste of the vibrant event, which is enhanced by the close proximity of the enchanting Mexico City, and the celebrations of Mexico's famous Dia de los Muertos, which takes place shortly after the grand prix.
The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez provides unique challenges to Formula 1 teams due to its high altitude. The circuit is located over 2,200 metres above sea level - and over a kilometre higher than the second-highest venue - which influences the power units and Formula 1's capricious aerodynamics. Straight-line speed is often very high due to the lower drag, though the impact of DRS is consequently reduced, which can hinder overtaking.
The thinner air also means cars generate less downforce, which can lead to slippery machines through the esses that comprise the middle sector of the lap, while getting tires and brakes into the optimum window can be an additional challenge due to the altitude. The circuit's showpiece is the imposing Foro Sol stadium, through which the final sector of the lap passes, creating a frenzied atmosphere across the course of the weekend.
Haas F1 Team racers Kevin Magnussen and Mick Schumacher both have prior experience in Mexico City. Magnussen entered the grand prix in 2016-19, including a brilliant last-to-eighth drive in 2017, while Schumacher's first taste of the venue came in his 2021 rookie campaign.
Haas F1 Team Reserve Driver Pietro Fittipaldi will participate in FP1, in place of Magnussen, for his first appearance of the season, fulfilling one of Haas F1 Team's two young driver obligations.
Just how significant to the team is the new title partnership with MoneyGram - as announced ahead of the United States Grand Prix last week in Austin? Do you feel it makes a statement regarding the intent of the team to continue to grow and build its commercial platform?
Guenther Steiner - Team Principal: "To sign this partnership with MoneyGram was great for the team and it shows there is a lot to come from Haas in the future. This is just the beginning and we obviously want to build up the commercial platform but also the rest of the team. We want to get stronger and be here for the long term - I think that's what it shows."
More excitement followed in America with Kevin going on to score points in Sunday's United States Grand Prix with a thrilling drive extracting the life out of his tires after a one-stop strategy played out. Talk us through the call and your nerves towards the end of the race.
GS: "When Kevin said he thought he could get to the end of the race on the tires, we were thinking do you really think that can happen. Not only if the tire would last but also if the performance and degradation would not be too big and we fall back. We came up with a back-up strategy should that happen so we wouldn't lose a lot of time as long as we got him in as soon as possible when we saw the lap times getting too high and put the soft tires on.
"It was quite nerve-wracking because we knew if we had to do that, we would fall back to tenth place, and we wanted to do the best we can. Kevin did a great job to put in fast lap times while not overusing the tires. In the end, we got overtaken on the last corner from Sebastian Vettel but it was an exciting fight. Sometimes even when you lose a fight, it was fulfilling that we made the decision to stay out there and we had the confidence to do that, so all in all, it went well."
With a three-day attendance total at Circuit of The Americas of 440,000 and wall-to-wall celebrities attending throughout the weekend - just how positive is it to see the sport embraced live on-site and with COTA cementing its place as the die-hard fans favorite F1 track in the country?
GS: "What happened in COTA was, I think, fantastic for the sport. To continue to grow and grow in the US, with COTA being the first race track in the US in modern day Formula 1, they've cemented their place. People love to come here, there is a lot going on around the race track and I had the opportunity to go and look around. It's such a fantastic facility, I was speechless after it."
This week's Mexico City Grand Prix sees Pietro Fittipaldi return behind the wheel to drive the VF-22 in FP1 as part of the mandatory ‘rookie' allowance. What's going to be the plan with Pietro and what are his strengths having been in and around the team for so long and having raced twice back in 2020?
GS: "First of all, it's good to see Pietro in the car again. He's already now an old member of the team and he comes around the world with us in case he we need him. We hope that we don't, but if we do, we're very happy to have Pietro in the car as we showed a few years ago. The plan is to do the normal tire program in FP1, which is what we'd do with our regular drivers. It's good for him to be in the car again, just so that if we need him, he has a feeling for it but I'm sure Pietro will do a good job for the team."
Round 20 of the 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship takes the paddock to the heady heights of Mexico City. It's another country steeped in motorsport history, what are your memories from the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez?
Kevin Magnussen: "The Mexico City Grand Prix is always a fantastic event. The fans are super into Formula 1, it's unique with the stadium section and I'm looking forward to going back and experiencing it all over again."
The track is 2km above sea level, which puts obvious stresses on cars. Racing in these conditions in news cars, and heading towards the latter stage of the season, are you expecting a competitive race with reliability playing a key role in the outcome?
KM: "It's a challenge - both physically and technically with the car - cooling is an issue. You don't have as much downforce, you run a lot of wing on the car and it's very low density in the air, so you actually have about the same amount of downforce as you have in Monza. That's why we've seen some of the highest top speeds from Formula 1 cars there. It's tough physically and in the past, I've had symptoms from being so high up."
A highlight of racing at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is the Foro Sol grandstand - where cars make their way through the stadium. What is it like to drive through that unique corner in Formula 1 and can you hear the cheers from inside the cockpit?
KM: "The Foro Sol is what makes the event unique. You drive into the stadium section, and you can really feel the atmosphere from the fans, especially on the drivers parade. It's great when you get there, it's a big buzz."
Round 20 of the 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship takes the paddock to the heady heights of Mexico City. It's another country steeped in motorsport history, what are your memories from the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez?
Mick Schumacher: "I think my first time ever going to Mexico City was with Race Of Champions in 2019, pairing up for the first time with Sebastian. It was obviously a great experience and then going there as a Formula 1 driver last year was also special. I'd never driven the track before, and I had to get used to the altitude at first which was a bit different to all other race weekends we go to. I have great memories so I'm definitely looking forward to this year."
The track is 2km above sea level, which puts obvious stresses on cars. Racing in these conditions in news cars, and heading towards the latter stage of the season, are you expecting a competitive race with reliability playing a key role in the outcome?
MS: "I think it's always hard to predict any changes in aerodynamics and engine power. We had no reliability issues last year on our side so hopefully we'll be good and we'll be able to score some points."
A highlight of racing at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is the Foro Sol grandstand - where cars make their way through the stadium. What is it like to drive through that unique corner in Formula 1 and can you hear the cheers from inside the cockpit?
MS: "Maybe not for us, but definitely for Checo! He has huge support there and it's great to see people love motorsport so much in Mexico. I've had some crazy experiences, so it's definitely a place I'm looking forward to going back to and hopefully get the cheers from the fans."
Mexico will be your first time back in the VF-22 since pre-season testing in February. What does it mean to get an opportunity to drive this season's Formula 1 car in a free practice session?
Pietro Fittipaldi: "It's a great opportunity. It's definitely different to run in testing to running during an official race weekend in practice and I want to do a great job for the team. It's going to be the first time for me in a Formula 1 car in Mexico so that will be pretty exciting. I want to do a good run for the team, go through all the run plan and do a solid job."
When taking part in a free practice session, what objectives does the team set and what are your own personal targets?
PF: "On Thursday we'll go over the run plan and what the objectives are because it could be focusing on qualifying runs or high fuel running for the race, so we'll see what the team priority is and I'll look to do my best job on Friday. My personal targets are to perform at my best and make sure that I show the team again what I can do. Every time you get an opportunity in Formula 1, I always see it as a job interview, so every time you've got the chance to get behind the wheel, you've got to do your best."
What experience do you have around the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, and with the circuit 2km above sea level, have you had to any added training to physically prepare for the conditions?
PF: "The only time I've raced there was in 2017 in the World Series V8 3.5 Championship, and I have two pole positions and two wins, so I have a good record over there. I hope to stay successful after FP1 with Haas. I'm always ready - I've been doing sports car racing and endurance racing this year which is extremely physical and tasking mentally. I've had a good couple of races recently in sports cars and I come off a good rhythm, and I think that's important. I train a lot throughout the whole year, especially with the neck which is the most important thing. FP1 in Mexico is only one hour long so it's not too tasking so I have no doubt that I'll be ready."