What are the key technical challenges of Mexico City?
At around 2,200m, the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is the highest altitude circuit we visit. The thin air strips both downforce and drag from the car, so despite three long straights and very high end-of-straight speeds, this is effectively a maximum-downforce track.
The layout combines three low-speed sections with a high-speed sequence from Turn 7-11. Frequent changes of direction at both high and low speed, along with significant camber and crowning changes, particularly in the second sector, can unsettle the car.
Cooling is a constraint. Brake energy is only moderate, but brake and power unit cooling are difficult in the thin air, and the car typically runs close to its operating limits, especially when following other cars.
The track has been resurfaced for 2026 from Turn 16-1 and from T7-16, so the roughness and grip of the new asphalt are the biggest unknowns of the weekend. A darker surface could also lead to larger track temperature swings between sessions.
How do the 2026 regulations influence the approach this weekend?
Altitude is as challenging as ever for the power unit, with difficulty building turbo boost and high levels of torque infilling expected.
We expect to be at, or very close to, full deployment in both qualifying and the race, with three SLM zones. Running at the top of the battery window increases the risk of poor torque infilling.
What are the tyre challenges of the circuit?
Pirelli has nominated its softest compounds: C3 (hard), C4 (medium) and C5 (soft). The hard is one step softer than in 2025, and the softer compounds are expected to perform well.
The resurfacing is the biggest unknown for the tyres. The roughness and grip of the new asphalt will determine both the graining risk and how difficult warm-up proves to be.
Tyre preparation is notoriously difficult here, and the resurfacing adds further uncertainty, so we expect run plans to vary across the field in qualifying. Finding the right warm-up profile could be worth several tenths. Hard out-laps will be required, and build laps may be needed to prepare the tyres.
During the Grand Prix, low aerodynamic loads at altitude mean bulk temperatures will be low, with degradation driven by overheating of the rear surface. Wear will be rear-limited because of the traction demands, but the new surface creates a possible graining risk.
What are the strategic considerations for the race?
Mexico is a difficult circuit for overtaking, partly because the power unit and brakes overheat quickly in traffic at altitude, so we expect teams to put more emphasis on qualifying.
The race is expected to be a two-stop on the medium and soft compounds. If graining is more severe than expected, the hard will come into play, while even a small reduction in degradation would move the whole field to a one-stop.
Interventions are very likely. The VSC rate to date is 70% and the Safety Car rate is 50%, and every race in Mexico has seen at least one intervention.
