Mercedes "in a better place" to combat Mexico "weakness"

Mercedes

Mercedes "in a better place" to combat Mexico "weakness"

Team has found Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez a difficult track

Ian Parkes

Wednesday 3 November 2021 05:00

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Valtteri Bottas is convinced Mercedes will be "in a better place" this weekend when it tackles one of its weaker circuits in Mexico following its recent power unit changes.

The normally reliable manufacturer has struggled this season with its system which has resulted in components regularly being changed and penalties incurred, not only for the works team but also its customers.

Bottas has suffered the most as the Finnish driver took his sixth internal combustion engine for the last race in the United States, but with the hope now his troubles are firmly behind him and he can concentrate freely on the final five grands prix.

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The first of those, however, is at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, situated 2,285 metres above sea level, a factor that greatly affects all power units.

The thinner air places greater significance on the turbocharger that spins at a higher speed to make up for some of the performance loss.

It means certain manufacturers will fare better than others depending on the size of its turbo and the layout of its power unit system.

At a circuit that has favoured Red Bull in the past, a confident Bottas said: "For Mexico, we know it has usually been a bit of a weakness for us.

"It feels like in recent years quite a big chunk has been from the power unit with the high altitude.

"But I think we’ve been able to optimise a lot since so I would expect us to be in a better place than in recent years."

With Brazil to follow that is also 800m above sea level, Bottas added: “Still, on paper, we think they are really strong places for Red Bull.

"We have just really tried to do all the learnings we can from previous years and prepare the best that way.

“They’re not going to be easy weekends but it’s never easy in this sport.”

Team principal Toto Wolff is not ruling out the prospect of Mercedes turning the tables on Red Bull in Mexico as its rival did in the Silver Arrow stronghold of Austin.

"Red Bull have gone well there [Mexico] in the past and it hasn't been our strongest circuit," declared Wolff.

"But this year has shown that anything is possible and circuits where you were previously weak, you are suddenly strong, and vice versa.

"So, it adds a layer of the unknown in the build-up, which only increases the excitement.

"We'll keep taking things race by race and preparing the best we can, and we'll land in Mexico ready to hit the ground running on Friday, get a good understanding of the car's performance and build from there."