The American triple-header reaches new heights

The Formula 1 World Championship’s American triple-header now sees the teams all making the trip from the United States to Mexico for this weekend’s fourth Mexico City Grand Prix at the Hermanos Rodriguez circuit. 

The circuit. Located at 2,250 metres above sea level, the circuit has hosted all 19 editions of the Mexican Grand Prix that have been part of the World Championship between 1963 and 2019. The track is named in honour of the famous brothers, Pedro and Ricardo Rodriguez who gave the home crowd something to cheer about, racing in Formula 1, including for Ferrari and also in endurance racing. The lap starts with a 1.2 kilometre blast down a straight where the DRS can be opened all the way to turn 1, with the cars reaching speeds well in excess of 320 km/h, before arriving at the hardest braking point on the track. Then come two complexes of tight turns, 1-2-3 and 4-5-6. The second sector features a series of right-left-right flowing corners from turn 7 to 11, which have some similarities to the first part of the Circuit of the Americas. Then comes the third straight with a DRS zone which takes the cars into the very slow stadium section. It is made up of four tight turns and has become one of the most instantly recognisable corners in the sport, with the track running through a baseball diamond, surrounded by very high grandstands packed with very noisy fans. Two more tight right handers then lead the cars to the start-finish line, the whole lap taking just over 78 seconds. 

Rarified air. The weather is generally quite pleasant in Mexico City in October, with average temperatures around 24 degrees, which is comfortable for the drivers, but the cars have a much harder time. That’s because of the rarified air which is down to the height above sea level of the Mexican capital and it puts a major strain on the cars in terms of reliability, as all the components, from the power unit to the brakes, tyres and all the car systems suffer from a lack of oxygen and therefore run the risk of overheating. 

Tyres. With its long straights and many braking points, the Hermanos Rodriguez circuit is considered to be a low degradation track and so the teams generally opt for a one-stop strategy. However, because of the high altitude, the drivers have to ensure they do not push too much or the tyres can overheat, forcing them to make a second stop. Last year, the majority of the field started on the Medium tyres before switching to Hards at one third distance and then running to the flag. 

Programme. After the Sprint format at the Circuit of the Americas, Mexico sees a return to the standard timetable. There are two free practice sessions on Friday starting at 12.30 (20.30 CET) and 16.00 (24.00 CET). The second one will last 90 minutes instead of the usual 60 as part of a Pirelli test for the 2025 Soft compound tyre. On Saturday morning, the final preparation session prior to qualifying starts at 11.30 (19.30 CET) with the grid decider getting underway at 15.00 (23.00 CET). The 71 laps Mexico City Grand Prix starts on Sunday at 14.00 (21.00 CET).

Fred Vasseur - Team Principal Scuderia Ferrari HP

We come to Mexico on a high after the one-two in Austin, which was a great motivational boost for the entire team. The Hermanos Rodriguez circuit presents a completely different challenge. The fact that Mexico City sits at 2200 metres above sea level requires a completely unique approach when it comes to setting up the car. The rarified air also places additional stress on components of the car that need to disperse heat, meaning the systems, brakes, power unit and of course the tyres too. Finding the right balance to deal with this while getting the maximum performance out of the car is not an easy task, but we have prepared well for it back in the factory. Our approach to this race will be the same as any other, focussing on ourselves and paying attention to the details. As usual, I expect it to all be very close between the top teams and come the end of the weekend, we will see where we stand.

 

FERRARI STATS

GP contested: 1093

Seasons in F1: 75

Debut: Monaco 1950 (A. Ascari 2nd; R. Sommer 4th; L. Villoresi ret.)

Wins: 247 (22.59%)

Pole positions: 252 (23.06%)

Fastest laps: 262 (23.97%)

Podiums: 823 (25.09%)

FERRARI STATS GRANDS PRIX HELD IN MEXICO

GP contested: 23

Debut: Mexico GP 1963 (J. Surtees ret.; L. Bandini ret.)

Wins: 2 (8.69%)

Pole positions: 4 (17.39%)

Fastest laps: 5 (21.73%)

Podiums: 12 (18.18%)

THREE QUESTIONS TO...
Edoardo Brosco - Scuderia Ferrari HP Head of Chassis Reliability and Development

1. What are the characteristics of the Mexico City track?
The Hermanos Rodriguez track is not particularly long, but it’s very technical and demanding. In qualifying, the first challenge is getting the front tyres up to temperature, while looking after the rears as much as possible on the warm-up lap. The mix of long straights and slow tight corners means that looking after the tyres is vital. If you don’t control tyre sliding accurately under acceleration, there’s a risk of irreversible overheating, with a subsequent loss of traction. This costs the driver a lot of time on that lap and the following ones.

2. The Mexican track puts a lot of strain on the cars. Why is that and what are the most critical aspects?
The Mexico City Grand Prix is run at altitude, with the city located at almost 2300 metres above sea level, which means air density is about 30% below that at sea level. This has two effects on the car, the first being that with no changes to its shape, the air going into it through the side pods, brake ducts and the snorkel is much less than usual. That requires specific strategies to ensure the right level of cooling for the car components, while it also puts more stress on the turbo, which has to work at the upper limit of its operating range in order to supply air to the engine. The second effect of the low air density is that vertical aero downforce and drag are reduced by 30%. To get an idea of what this means, the difference in the maximum aero downforce package as used in Monaco and that employed in Monza is around 20%, which means that if this weekend’s Grand Prix was run at sea level, the cars’ speed at the end of the straight would be around 25 km/h slower.

3. Tell us something about your life at Ferrari and what it means to represent this brand around the world?
I joined Scuderia Ferrari in 2021, a young engineer in the Vehicle Dynamics department, before joining the trackside engineers as a Performance Engineer, which I did up until 2019, with some great years at the track working with many drivers and engineers from whom I learned a lot. Today I am the head of the Reliability and Chassis Development group.
Much has changed since I joined Scuderia Ferrari, the facility, the offices, the test beds, people have come and gone but the one thing that never changes is the technical quality and passion that everyone here has for racing. When we win a race and come back to the factory on Monday, you can see people’s eyes light up, as everyone feels part of a bigger project. I think that’s what makes me proud to work alongside them all, to feel part of a project, side by side with people who give their all to always improving, always striving to do better than our rivals.

Profile:

Edoardo Brosco
Nationality: Italian
Born on: 30/12/1987
In: Rome (Italy)

MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX: FACTS & FIGURES

9. The number of Formula 1 race weekends in which Oliver Bearman has taken part. The English Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy graduate will be back behind the wheel of the SF-24 this weekend, for the first time since the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. This is in line with the regulation stating that during the course of the season, each race driver must sit out a free practice session, allowing a young driver who has raced in no more than two Grands Prix to take his place. Apart from his Saudi appearance, Oliver raced in Azerbaijan for the Haas F1 Team. He has also taken part in six Friday FP1 sessions with the American team, his debut appearance dating back to Mexico in 2023. That year he also ran in Abu Dhabi and then this year in Imola, Barcelona-Catalunya, Silverstone and the Hungaroring.

15. The average degrees of temperature in Mexico City in December. Despite the warm weather, every year in the month that hosts Christmas, the Zocalo main square is home to the biggest ice skating rink in all of the Americas, known as “Ice World.” It uses an aluminium system to cool the ice, allowing people to skate outdoors even with temperatures that can reach 30 degrees.

20. The average speed of car traffic in Mexico City (km/h). With five million cars in circulation, the traffic which literally never stops has always been one of the main problems in the capital, along with pollution. During rush hour it is generally quicker to walk.

22. The percentage of the country’s gross annual production, which comes to 3,500 trillion US Dollars, that is generated in Mexico City. If the capital was an independent nation, it would be the fifth largest economy in Latin America.

60. The diameter in centimetres of the largest sombrero, the typical Mexican hat. It was first worn by Mexican ranchers before it gained popularity in the United States, where it morphed into the famous cowboy hat, de rigueur in so many Western films of the Sixties and Seventies.

2018. The year in which lucha libre, a style of wrestling born in Mexico City in the thirties before becoming widespread throughout the whole country, was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list. The main characteristic of lucha libre is the fact it is much faster than conventional wrestling, with aerial moves much preferred over those requiring strength. A male wrestler is known as a luchador, while a female one is a luchadora.