McLaren loses podium potential and Aston Martin faces cooling issues

Losing podium potential in the dirty air

I believe McLaren’s loss of podium potential in Mexico City resulted from a combination of a poor qualifying session and the difficulty of following cars in dirty air. High altitude makes cooling a nightmare and makes aerodynamic following difficult, which makes track position the most important factor. Lando Norris spent 71 laps trapped in a DRS train behind George Russell and Charles Leclerc, where he burned up his tyres in the turbulent wake of his rivals. Andrea Stella said that Norris could "draw the rear of their cars with his eyes closed" after spending the afternoon staring directly at gearboxes. The team principal explained, "the race confirmed that we had the potential to finish on the podium," but he added that they "paid the price" for their starting grid positions and technical regulations. Oscar Piastri also lost points when the FIA stewards investigated contact with Arvid Lindblad and slapped the Australian with a time penalty. This mistake hurts the team as they trail Red Bull Racing by 17 points in the battle for third place in the Constructors’ Championship heading into the final leg of the triple-header. Stella expects the team to close this gap with upgrades arriving in Brazil next week to secure the prize money associated with a third-place finish. To achieve this, Stella told his garage they must be perfect in every respect.

Honda’s cooling issues at high altitude

Honda’s investigation into Aston Martin’s reliability issues in Mexico City confirms that the team underestimated the cooling demands placed on its power unit at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. Orihara, the Honda trackside general manager and chief engineer, said the ERS cooling circuit faced much heavier stress than the team had anticipated. The cooling difficulties were not confined to a single session, with Aston Martin encountering problems throughout the weekend as it attempted to manage the intense demands placed on its power unit. While the team completed a series of laps during the practice sessions, the issue occurred again during qualifying and the race. Fernando Alonso said the car is very good, but he noted the engine prevents the team from completing more laps than a certain number. I find Alonso’s blunt assessment of the engine’s limitations being a restriction to the car’s potential to be the most honest part of the weekend. Honda intends to use the data gathered on turbo lag and cooling to prepare for the 2027 return to the circuit. Orihara stated that at each race this year, the team must learn the hard lessons to improve for next year. This data helps the team solve the issues they encountered throughout the weekend this year.