At 2,285m above sea level, the rarefied air poses a significant challenge to the vehicle’s aerodynamics, cooling requirements and the power envelope of the powertrain.
Even Red Bull, which has rarely had to sacrifice aerodynamic performance by opening its body as much as its rivals, erred on the side of caution in Mexico.
He installed an additional louver panel on the right side bolster bodywork. Its addition continues an asymmetric theme, as this season there is mostly just one louvered panel on the right side of the engine cover.
Photo: Giorgio Piola
Comparison of Ferrari SF-23 front brake discs
Ferrari switched to multi-drilled brake discs in Mexico, following the same decision made by the Scuderia in 2022.
The 60 extra drill holes help dissipate the heat generated by the disc and keep temperatures within similar limits to where they would normally be given the disparity caused by altitude.
This must also be considered as a factor in terms of the heat exchange that occurs between the brakes, the rim and the tire. Especially when we consider that overall tire temperature is important to both performance and degradation over the course of a qualifying lap and length of stay during a race.
Photo: Giorgio Piola
Detail of the Ferrari SF-23
Ferrari, who tend to open up more of their car’s cooling, have complemented the placement of the louvers for maximum cooling, which spans the side sill and bonnet bodywork, with additional cooling outlets to be found next to the ‘S’ duct outlet .
In addition, the left side of the car has been given more cooling priority than the right, with additional louvres present in the rear panel, while an additional row is present in the body recess of the side sill.
Meanwhile, at the back of the car, the team had the option of placing a Gurney flap on the trailing edge of the bonnet outlet, increasing heat extraction without the need to widen the bodywork. This is also a cost-effective method of increasing cooling capabilities, as otherwise one would have to invest in a one-off engine cover design.
SIDE BY SIDE
Photo by: Uncredited
McLaren MCL60 front brake channel comparison
Photo: Giorgio Piola
Detail of the McLaren MCL60
McLaren also opted for more cooling for the MCL60 to cope with the challenges posed by the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit.
This came in two guises, with an enlarged rear outlet used at the rear of the engine cover, while a revised front brake duct was also introduced.
The front brake duct was not too different compared to the spec raced in Singapore (top left insert), both being significantly larger than their regular counterpart (bottom left insert).
The difference in size between the maximum and regular front brake pads is noticeable not only in terms of the inlet pad, but also in the rear outlet, with the width of the body increased significantly. A cutout is required to allow the drawbar to pass through the required space.
McLaren were also keen to tick off a number of tests in free practice as the team ran a different running program to the rest of the field in terms of tire distribution.
This includes the Kiel probe mounted on the underside of the rear wing as seen in the photo, while the flo-vis was also seen applied to the center section of the wing on a separate occasion.
SIDE BY SIDE
Photo: Giorgio Piola
Detail of the Alpine A523
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AlphaTauri AT04 cooling comparison
Building on the theme of teams offering new, advanced bonnet solutions, Alpine and AlphaTauri also took this approach.
As for the Alpine, it opted for a new bonnet panel in the mid-section, with deeper louvres that were used as a means of helping to extract the heat generated inside, while at the rear of the car, more wide and higher output.
Likewise, AlphaTauri increased the number of louvers and the size of its cooling panel on the side of the engine cover, while the rear deck was increased in width and depth. Also, the usual indentations in the surface were removed and a flat surface could be found in their place.
The team also used a ladder-like exit grille on the spine of the engine cover, with a shark fin running through the middle.