2023-10-27 22:35:39
One of the great determining factors of competing in a race in Mexico is the altitude of the circuit. The Hermanos Rodríguez is located at 2,285 meters above sea level, which means a lower density in the air and, therefore, a greater fragility of its engines. It is, therefore, one of the circuits where it is most likely to see an engine breakage or, at least, a mechanical difficulty that is unfeasible in others.
Carlos Sainz can say it, for example. He didn’t even have to wait for the free seconds for his Ferrari to leave him stranded due to a hydraulic problem, something very common in these parts, where, on the other hand, Ferrari doesn’t usually go too well since he arrived. He was not the only one, several drivers, and especially the anonymous mechanics, suffered their share to get the car in condition.
The case of Fernando Alonso was especially striking. It took the Asturian a good part of that first session to get out on the track, since his engineers were trying to get the rear of his AMR23 in condition. These types of situations are not at all unusual at this point in the season, since many teams that know that they will not be able to improve anything take the time to test some ideas for next season’s car. The case of Alonso, and to a lesser extent Stroll, is the example: the Asturian is a perfect trainer (this has been the case throughout his career, with an exasperating meticulousness in many cases for his engineers). In this case, it was also on a circuit where the aerodynamic configuration takes on a greater role, so that half hour that he was waiting for the rear wing to be to his liking deprived him of riding.
And when he did, it was a shock: at the end of the circuit, leaving the track and ruining the possibility of being close (it is not known how close exactly) to the unattainable Max Verstappen and the not so fearsome Sergio Pérez, who has on this circuit the home factor more than ever due to the thousands of fans who cheer him every step of the way. Not so much for his partner, who had to be given extra protection because, according to those ‘flat-earthers’ who believe in the conspiracies that prevent their ‘Czech’ from succeeding, they are exacerbated too much.
Does Alonso have rhythm?
The difficulty in reading the free ones is multiplied in these circuits. Seeing, for example, Alex Albon sneak between the Red Bulls is something that does not seem to be repeated on Sunday, just like the McLaren problems that have been the great revelation of the last few events. Or the Mercedes, covered as always in the first turns and looking for a decent pace.
This is precisely what is not well known about Alonso and Aston Martin. It was already seen in Austin: he seemed a little faster than in previous events, but the mechanics prevented him from finishing. If the problems experienced in the United States and the difficulty in putting the whole package together are repeated here, we will have to see Alonso come out again with an unfriendly face.
However, those green shoots that were seen in the previous North American event were repeated here from those first free sessions. Before leaving the track, with the soft tires, he was riding at a pace close to the Red Bulls. The moment of truth, however, is what it is. If the classification does not return to its natural place, Q3, Alonso is aware that it will be difficult for him to overtake, since several teams seem to be out of position and that can benefit or harm him depending on where Aston Martin sits on the grid. . If he finally reaches his comfort zone, among the top ten, Alonso can set an ambitious goal to a certain extent: a top 5. To a large extent it will depend on whether his car holds up, if the pace is optimal, if the tires They work as expected (Pirelli has a range here that is one point softer than on its 2022 visit) and, above all, if it can avoid incidents. And unlike what happened at the start of the campaign, now the Asturian is not in a position of power against those rivals in the middle zone with whom he must fight for copper.
#Alonso #mechanics #Mexico