For this Formula One weekend, we are in the city of Mexico. McLaren have brought several important updates to help them in their title fights.
The characteristics of the Mexico circuit
The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City is one of the most complex circuits on the entire calendar. It is one of those circuits that puts teams and drivers in difficult situations constantly. Its geographical position is very particular, putting the resistance and performance of the power unit to the test. This is because they have to deal with the rarefied air that you breathe on this track. A track that is located at 2,200 meters above sea level. This therefore forces the various teams to use a very high aerodynamic load.
One of the main problems faced by the various teams on this circuit is the cooling of the components. Another important feature to take into account is the DRS which on this track is very sensitive. Choosing the setup is a very delicate matter.
Upgrades brought to Mexico by Mclaren
In this circuit, McLaren has decided to bring some updates, including the coke/engine cover, cooling louvres and the floor body. Among these updates, the most important is the floor which is expected to massively improve the performance of the car.
First data from free practice
As mentioned above, McLaren brought a new floor to Mexico. The updated floor is only on Lando Norris’s car this weekend, and will later be introduced to Oscar Piastri’s later in the season. The floor is expected to improve the balance on this very complicated track from a technical point of view.
The thin air in Mexico does not help the teams. For this reason, single-seaters need a lot of aerodynamic load, with teams being forced to bring bigger wings for the downforce and more open hoods for cooling.
Piastri complained a lot about the car during FP1 – his older spec McLaren. During this FP1, IndyCar driver Pato O’Ward of Mexico ran on track with Norris’ car, without the new floor to avoid the risk of damage. However, this was useful for the team, to be able to compare the performance of both specs.
In FP2 there were the Pirelli tests and both cars performed well with the prototype compounds. This indicated that the McLaren is the most balanced in the overall lap. Although there is still a margin in the snake where the point of reference is the Ferrari. In the FP2 session, Lando Norris ran on track with new updates on the car, in order to be able to collect necessary data.
What to expect from McLaren?
McLaren, with the new updates, has proven to be quite strong and competitive. The first two practices on the track have been able to demonstrate the quality of the car with the new specification compared to the old one. There is room for improvement and the race pace seemed very good.
But McLaren will have to watch their back because they aren’t the only ones with a good race pace. Ferrari also had a good performance, displaying a good race pace. In this case, the Mexican GP may turn out to be a fight between Ferrari and McLaren.
It will now be important for the Woking team to perform well in qualifying but above all to implement good strategies and good pit stops on race day. As we all know, the world of Formula One is a continuous race against time, and McLaren have all the cards in order to win.
