Pressiteade
After a no score in Austin, how does the team reflect on the race weekend?
Itwas the first time in over two years that both our cars did not see the chequeredflag. We are investigating Fernando’s rear wing issue and taking all themeasures to ensure it will not happen again this season. It would have been agreat achievement had Fernando finished in the points after starting from theback of the grid. Esteban’s race was compromised by early damage and he wasunable to recover from that. Following concerns during the race, we havechecked his car and confirmed that everything is OK ahead of Mexico. Ingeneral, though, we were not competitive enough in Austin. Intense work hasbeen going on across all technical departments since we returned from the USAto gain better understanding of our issues, which provided us with valuablelearning for the remaining races.
Whatare the main challenges of racing in Mexico?
Mexico,with its high altitude, poses a unique challenge. The air is thinner at 2,000mabove sea level and that impacts the aerodynamics and engine behaviour. Racingin Mexico is certainly atypical as the cars run a Monaco level wing thatgenerates a Monza level of downforce, making the car feel light and low grip.It’s a challenge to cool the engine and brakes as well and teams tend to runtheir maximum cooling packages at normal ambient temperatures.
Whatis the team’s plan of action for the upcoming triple header?
Thisis the beginning of an unusual combination of races which take us from Centraland South America through to the Middle East. Although exciting, it will betough on the team and pose stringent logistical challenges. It’s an importanttime of the year to remain close as a team, look out for one another duringsuch a busy time and keep team spirit high.
After retiring from theUnited States Grand Prix, Esteban Ocon heads to Mexico fully motivated toreturn to the points. It’s a track with happy memories for the Frenchman afterfinishing fifth there in 2017, as he eyes up another positive result at theAutodrom Hermanos Rodriguez.
What did you learn fromAustin?
We need to return to form after a disappointingweekend in Austin. It was not the weekend we were hoping for there even if wemade improvements in every session. We’ve analysed it and we’ll come backstronger in Mexico. The difference in the fight for fifth will be scoringconsistently with both cars and that’s our target for Mexico.
What do you like about racingin Mexico?
It’s always cool to visit Mexico City asit’s quite an electric place. There’s a nice buzz there when Formula 1 visitsand we haven’t been there for a couple of years so I’m sure the atmosphere isgoing to be special this year. In between Austin and here, I spent a little bitof time on holiday in Mexico and it’s a great place. After a short rest, I’mfeeling fresh and ready to take on this weekend.
How much do you enjoy racingat the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez?
The circuit is a good one to race at.It’s pretty tough for a number of reasons but mainly because of the highaltitude, which affects the power unit and finding a good set-up. Actually, thecars are set to high downforce, but it feels like it’s low downforce because ofthe conditions. Usually the car feels light and low grip and that’s a challengeto get used to. It’ll be much different to Austin in some aspects, as it’s muchflatter and smoother tarmac. I’ve had some good results there in the past, likefinishing fifth in 2017, so I can see no reason why we can’t get back into arhythm and back into form soon.
Is it refreshing to see moreand more fans attend races?
Austin set the bar for atmosphere thisyear and it was great to see so many passionate fans in the grandstands on raceday. It makes a huge difference racing in front of so many people as it bringsa really cool energy. Usually Mexico is one of best races of the year foratmosphere. Driving through the stadium section is a real highlight and I can’twait to experience that this year.
ElPlan
FernandoAlonso heads to Mexico City for his fifth Mexican Grand Prix in Formula 1.After his exciting charge from the back of the Austin grid ended due toretirement, Fernando is looking to steer the team back into the points in frontof the raucous Mexican crowd this weekend.
What were your thoughts onthe weekend in Austin?
It was a difficult weekendfor us as a team. We struggled from Friday onwards and couldn’t find thebalance we had in Turkey, where it was arguably the best car I’ve driven all season.We also took the decision to change the power unit so that it’s fresh for therest of the season and it meant starting from the back of the grid on Sunday.Despite this it’s a fun track to try make up ground on, and we had a shot atfinishing in the points before the rear wing issue on my car. Outside of theracing it was great to see the support the fans had for the sport. I thinkAmerica has really grown to love Formula 1 and we felt that during the wholeweekend in Austin.
What do you think of AutódromoHermanos Rodríguez?
It’s another fun track wherethere are good overtaking opportunities and a very long straight. We go toanother race where the atmosphere is great, and the stadium section of thetrack is like no other on the calendar. I love football and it reminds me a lotof a football stadium when you are in that final sector. It’s usually a hotrace and the altitude is high, so it puts huge stresses on us and the car.
It’s the beginning of anothertriple header of races. What does it take as a driver when you have three raceweekends in a row?
We are familiar with this nowas it’s been like this in the past few years of Formula 1. The hardest thingwill be the amount of travel in the next three weeks as it’s quite longdistances between each race. Making sure you get some decent recovery and restwill be crucial to keep up the energy. In between races we’ll be making sure todo all the right things to aid recovery after a weekend of racing. It’s alsoimportant that all of the staff get some time to recover too. Everybody isworking in a high-pressure environment during a race weekend, so it’s vitalthey’re given enough time to recover properly.
Tyres:
Hard,C2 (White)
Esteban – 2
Fernando - 2
Medium,C3 (Yellow)
Esteban – 3
Fernando - 3
Soft,C4 (Red)
Esteban– 8
Fernando– 8
Esteban Ocon
Starts – 3
Points - 10
Average Points – 3.33
Fastest Qualifying – 1:16.844 (2018)
Fastest Lap – 1:20.946 (2017)
Best Finish – 5th (2017)
Best Grid Position – 6th (2017)
Fernando Alonso
Starts - 4
Points – 1
Average Points – 0.25
Fastest Qualifying – 1:16.871(2018)
Fastest Lap – 1:21.014(2017)
Best Finish – 10th(2017)
Best Grid Position – 11th(2016)
Renault-powered cars in Mexico
Starts - 40
Wins - 4
Podiums - 9
Pole Positions - 4
Fastest Laps - 2
Total points - 163
Last team result in Mexico
Ricciardo
Grid – 13th
Race – 8th
Hülkenberg
Grid – 12th
Race – 10th
