What are the Challenges of Racing at Altitude?

The Mexico City Grand Prix is one of the most unique events on the Formula 1 calendar – not just for its passionate fans and colourful atmosphere, but for the rare engineering challenge it presents.

Sitting roughly 2,200 metres above sea level, the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez pushes cars, drivers and teams to adapt to conditions unlike anywhere else.

To put that in perspective, the next highest-altitude circuits F1 visits are the Red Bull Ring in Austria (around 700 metres) and Interlagos in Brazil (roughly 800 metres). Mexico City is nearly three times higher, and that extra elevation changes almost everything.

At this altitude, the air is significantly thinner – meaning there’s less air density and lower air pressure. This has a direct impact on how the car behaves.

Downforce, the invisible force that presses an F1 car into the track, depends on how much air the wings can push against. With less dense air, there’s simply less for the car to work with.

The result? Despite running Monaco-style high-downforce wings, the car actually generates less downforce and drag than it would at Monza, the fastest circuit on the calendar.

This means drivers face the paradox of very high end-of-straight speeds but less grip in the corners. Tyres respond differently, the car’s balance changes over bumps and kerbs, and even small mistakes can be punished more harshly than usual.

The thin air also makes cooling a major headache for engineers. With less air passing through the radiators and brake ducts, everything runs hotter – from the tyres and brakes to the power unit itself.

To combat this, teams open up their bodywork as much as possible, using larger cooling ducts and wider inlets to push as much air through the system as they can. Even then, temperatures can run close to the limit, especially when running right behind a competitor on this relatively short circuit.

Finding the balance between cooling efficiency and aerodynamic performance becomes a delicate dance.

Altitude doesn’t just affect aerodynamics – it impacts engine performance, too. With less oxygen in the air, a normally aspirated engine would lose significant power. Fortunately, modern F1 power units use turbochargers, which compress air to maintain performance.

However, in Mexico City, those turbos have to work much harder than usual. The harder they work, the more stress they generate, and teams must carefully manage this to avoid reliability issues.

It’s not only the machinery that feels the strain – the people do, too. The reduced oxygen levels can affect human performance, causing fatigue to set in faster and sleep to come less easily. Drivers will feel the difference inside the cockpit, and mechanics and engineers along the pit lane will also have to dig deep through a demanding weekend at altitude.

Behind the scenes, the Mexico City GP weekend it’s one of the most technically complex races of the season, testing every element of car design, setup and endurance.