The three-way Constructors’ Championship combat between McLaren, Crimson Bull, and Ferrari will dominate the rest of the 2024 Components 1 season.
However fascinating battles are shaping up everywhere in the grid, with maybe essentially the most intriguing being the competition between Haas and Visa Money App RB F1 Staff for sixth within the Constructors’ Championship. Whereas VCARB entered final week’s United States Grand Prix with a three-point lead in that combat, an incredible week for Haas on dwelling turf noticed them depart Austin with a two-point lead in that conflict. Solely an enormous restoration drive from Liam Lawson — who picked up two factors with a ninth-place end after beginning in P19 — mitigated the harm for VCARB.
Now Lawson and firm are trying ahead to a “battle of effectivity” within the excessive altitude of Mexico Metropolis.
“From Austin, we head south to Mexico Metropolis for the second leg of this triple header. The most important and most densely populated metropolis in North America sits at an altitude of 2240 meters and this brings distinctive challenges for the groups,” stated Alan Permane, VCARB’s racing director, within the group’s media preview for the Mexico Metropolis Grand Prix. “The a lot decrease air stress considerably reduces the downforce generated and forces the groups to run Monaco ranges of drag, with decrease than Monza ranges of downforce. The opposite burden this brings is on all of the cooling techniques.
“It’s a battle of effectivity as a result of the extra the bodywork is opened for elevated cooling, the extra downforce is misplaced and drag is elevated. The observe has a pleasant mixture of technical low pace corners and excessive pace adjustments of course earlier than the drivers enter the stadium part for the ultimate corners.,” added Permane. “Pirelli will convey their softest tyres of the 2024 vary and even with these the race is prone to be a one cease technique because of the easy tarmac and altitude results.”
“Mexico is an uncommon occasion due to the excessive altitude of the circuit, which suggests you run a most aero package deal, however solely really feel Monza ranges of downforce and the automobiles hit a few of the highest prime speeds of the season,” stated Tsunoda, who completed 14th in Austin. “You even discover the dearth of oxygen somewhat bit out of the cockpit, however not a lot when you’re driving. Though it’s not a Dash weekend, we may have barely much less time than standard to work on automotive set-up and guarantee we’ve got the proper cooling ranges on a observe the place it’s straightforward to overheat most of the elements, together with the ICE. That’s as a result of FP2 can be spent fully engaged on a Pirelli take a look at for subsequent yr’s compounds. Austin wasn’t nice, so I’m glad we go racing once more instantly.”
As for Lawson, who delivered a stupendous restoration drive in his return to the grid, the Mexico Metropolis Grand Prix is an opportunity to select up the place he left off in Austin.
Mexico could be very completely different to Austin; a special fashion of circuits, with the principle distinction being right down to the altitude, which means we run a excessive downforce on the automotive. The speeds we attain are a few of the highest of the season, which suggests by means of the corners, particularly the high-speed part of the observe, there’s loads much less downforce in comparison with someplace like Austin. Grip is kind of low, so the automobiles slide round quite a bit, making it tough to handle tires,” stated Lawson. “For me, I’ve solely been there as soon as earlier than to do a free observe session in 2022, so it’ll be much like Austin, having to re-learn all the things, however with the posh of three reasonably than simply the one. Hopefully a few of the issues we learnt in Austin will assist this week, however given the observe is so completely different, we’ll even be operating the automotive in fairly a special window.
“I’m trying ahead to getting again to it and I’m excited to get again within the automotive!”
