23/10/2024
NEWS STORY
Toto Wolff: After a difficult weekend in Austin, we have the opportunity to bounce back immediately in Mexico. Our performance in Texas showed that there is inherent performance in the car. Our challenge is extracting this consistently. That is not the result of one specific challenge, but the interaction of the car across both aero and mechanical factors. We have five more races to work on this before the end of the season. It is important that we do so, not only for our immediate performance but to also set ourselves up well for 2025.
With its high altitude, Mexico presents a unique challenge. The power unit has to work harder and, to counteract the thin air, we run at maximum downforce. It will provide another opportunity to evaluate our recent update package. Kimi will also be in the car for his second FP1 session and we look forward to him continuing his development on track.
Fact File: Mexico City Grand Prix
• The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is the third-shortest circuit on the 2024 F1 calendar, at just 4.304 km (behind only Zandvoort and Monaco).
• The track has the longest run from pole position to the first braking zone of any on the 2024 F1 calendar (767m) and almost 10 seconds of the 1.2-kilometre-long straight are taken at full throttle.
• Because of the high altitude and the low air density in Mexico City, the air is incredibly thin (meaning there are less molecules around) and transports less energy away from hot systems like the Power Unit and brakes.
• The nature of the circuit means drivers make only 35 gear changes per lap, the lowest number of the season.
• The ambient pressure is the lowest of the season by far. At 780mb, the oxygen levels are 78% of what they are at sea level, and this has a big impact on different areas of a Formula One car, such as Power Unit performance and downforce.
• Because you can run a Monaco wing level but experience Monza levels of downforce, top speeds in Mexico are some of the highest of the season, where the cars can achieve 346 km/h (or more with a tow). Only Vegas is higher.
• The Power Unit is one of the most affected systems on the car by the high altitude, with a decent drop in engine power due to the thin air. The turbocharger makes up for some of the power loss, but has to work much harder than it would in normal conditions.
• The team has three wins at the track - two with Lewis (2016 & 2019) and 2015 with Nico. The latter's win came on F1's return to the track for the first time since 1992.
• Lewis clinched his fourth (2017) and fifth (2018) World Drivers' Championship at the circuit.
• Junior driver and 2025 Mercedes F1 racer Kimi Antonelli will take part in his second FP1 session of the season, as part of F1's rules around rookie drivers competing in FP1. The Italian will drive Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes W15.