Listen to PIT TALK here ><\/a><\/p>\nDespite Antonelli\u2019s victory in the United States last week, the team says the new aero kit has considerably narrowed the set-up window, which is part of the reason Russell struggled so badly relative to his teammate in Austin.<\/p>\n
Having to make considerable and unusual adjustments could throw the car out of its sweet spot for both drivers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a little bit strange for us since we brought this package to the car,\u201d Russell said. \u201cObviously we first brought it in Malaysia, and it was a pretty tough weekend for the two of us.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen Kimi had it on in Singapore \u2014 again, not a straightforward weekend. I had it back on in Austin and struggled a lot on my side, and he obviously had a very, very strong race.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are seeing some things in the characteristics that just show that it performed in a very narrow window, so we need to try and widen that.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, from my side, I need to try and focus on getting into that window.\u201d<\/p>\n
There\u2019s another reason that Mercedes thinks it shouldn\u2019t be considered the favourite too \u2014 and it could be good news for Ferrari.<\/p>\n
![\"George](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1438c7f27c9dc9e9933748c28bfd7c98.jpeg\")
George Russell is searching for form in Mexico City. (Photo by Clive Mason\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
COULD THIS BE A FERRARI ENGINE TRACK?<\/p>\n
Racing at high altitude with a naturally aspirated engine would mean a loss of power commensurate with the reduced air density. This effect is less pronounced today, however, because the turbocharger maintains air pressure for the internal combustion engine, though there is still some loss.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s here that the different decisions around turbo size made by the manufacturers at the start of the season will make a bigger difference than usual \u2014 especially under these regulations.<\/p>\n
A smaller turbo is generally beneficial because it gets up to speed quicker at this altitude. That\u2019s particularly important this year, when there is no MGU-H pre-spooling the turbo. The removal of the MGU-H is what has reintroduced turbo lag to F1 and has also triggered the unusual new high-revving start procedure.<\/p>\n
Ferrari reportedly has the smallest turbo and could be poised to reap the rewards. Despite its engine package being weak at sea level, this might be the one race at which it has some genuine strengths \u2014 particularly given it\u2019ll be packaged in what consensus says is the best aerodynamics on the grid.<\/p>\n
Is it enough to make Ferrari favourite?<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, I think it\u2019s getting very close, and we have good momentum,\u201d Charles Leclerc said. \u201cWith Singapore and Austin as well, we\u2019ve maximised our potential, and I was relatively happy with the pace we\u2019ve shown.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhether we are the favourites for this weekend, I don\u2019t fully agree \u2014 I think Mercedes remain the favourites wherever we go. Red Bull are very, very strong as well recently.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut if we maximise everything we have, then I hope it can be a great weekend for us.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs we\u2019ve seen, I think the optimisation of our package is what will eventually make the most difference. It\u2019s so difficult to put everything in the right window coming into qualifying that, if we manage to do so, I think we\u2019ve got a chance here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Charles Leclerc is optimistic Ferrari can end the season strongly. (Photo by Clive Mason\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
BOTTAS AND LAWSON SWEAT ON THEIR SEATS AS ROOKIES GET OUTINGS<\/p>\n
Valtteri Bottas also missed media day with illness, and like Antonelli, this could be a big weekend for the Finn \u2014 though for completely different reasons.<\/p>\n
Cadillac is weighing up whether to break Bottas\u2019s contract a year early and promote American development driver Colton Herta.<\/p>\n
Herta will take Bottas\u2019s car in FP1, and if he completes the session, he will earn his 40th superlicence point, which will qualify him to compete in Formula 1 next year.<\/p>\n
The former IndyCar star made the switch to Formula 2 this year to prepare for his chance, and though his season has been underwhelming \u2014 his 19th in the standings after having scored points just five times, with a best finish of fifth \u2014 Cadillac has been more impressed by his work in the F1 environment, including in FP1 sessions and private testing.<\/p>\n
The team remains coy, but Sergio P\u00e9rez, who signed a long-term deal with Cadillac this week, gave away that a decision was being mulled over.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will be down to Marcin [Budkowski, team principal] to decide who they want in the car,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201c[He] will be looking at all the data and information, and he will ultimately make that decision based on what he thinks is best for the future of the team.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously we\u2019re in a period where we need to evolve extremely quickly. The next three or four months are really crucial in our preparation. I think it\u2019s down to him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Liam Lawson might also be feeling the pressure in FP1 when he hands his car over to Red Bull junior Nikola Tsolov, who is being considered for a full-time debut next year that would end the Kiwi\u2019s career.<\/p>\n
Some of the heat appears to have left that situation, however, in part because Tsolov\u2019s early title lead has been lost and in part because Lawson has been so good this year.<\/p>\n
Lawson is a clear ninth in the standings as the best midfield driver. He\u2019s 35 points clear of the next-best Pierre Gasly, and he has more than twice the score of teammate Arvid Lindblad.<\/p>\n
Getting the chop would be extremely rough for Lawson, particularly given the way Red Bull mishandled his rookie season last year.<\/p>\n
The decision comes down to whether Red Bull wants to continue having Racing Bulls churn through young guns at a rapid rate, as per the days of Helmut Marko, or whether it wants the team to stand on its own as more than just a speculative feeder of talent to Red Bull Racing.<\/p>\n
It seems to be moving towards the latter, a decision that might be helped by the fact Isack Hadjar has stood up to the challenge of being Max Verstappen\u2019s teammate so well.<\/p>\n
That would be good news for Lawson \u2014 but he would know as well as anyone that a Red Bull deal isn\u2019t done until it\u2019s signed and announced.<\/p>\n
Valtteri Bottas\u2019s career is at risk at Cadillac. (Photo by Lillian SUWANRUMPHA \/ AFP)Source: AFP<\/p>\n
ALONSO DOUBLES DOWN ON \u2018LOW QUALITY\u2019 COMMENTS<\/p>\n
Fernando Alonso stole headlines after last week\u2019s US Grand Prix with a particularly uncharitable description of the Formula 1 grid.<\/p>\n
Alonso was involved in a first-lap incident with Alex Albon that left him with a damaged car. He said he would have scored points without it; instead he finished 16th.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you start at the back, there is always this risk,\u201d Alonso said, per Autosport. \u201cI think the quality of the drivers in the lower third of the grid is very low, as we saw today with Alex, so I think we need to improve the car and start a little bit higher up.\u201d<\/p>\n
In classic Alonso fashion, he went on to describe the race as \u201cby far\u201d the best of his season.<\/p>\n
The lower third of the grid comprises Sergio P\u00e9rez, Valtteri Bottas, Lance Stroll, Albon, Carlos Sainz, Esteban Ocon and \u2014 you guess it \u2014 Alonso.<\/p>\n
Presumably Alonso wouldn\u2019t include himself in the bottom third. His employment contract with Aston Martin would also preclude him from listing Stroll, the son of the team\u2019s billionaire owner, on that list.<\/p>\n
He doubled down on that assertion in Mexico City, though he refused to say how many drivers he had in mind as being low in quality.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not specific about the number of them, but I think we all know which ones we are talking about and which ones felt targeted by that comment,\u201c he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it\u2019s not only Austin. Unfortunately I\u2019ve been in that part of the race for the whole season, so I see things from the car that I cannot tell you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alonso did give some ground in saying that the cars at the back of the grid are generally harder to drive, leading to more accidents on the first lap, but he said that \u201call these kinds of things are not necessary, especially if you are fighting for nothing at the back of the grid\u201d.<\/p>\n
Unsurprisingly, Alonso\u2019s rivals gave his assessment of the grid short shrift.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t agree; it\u2019s as simple as that,\u201d Albon said, per The Race. \u201cI think the level is strong up and down the grid.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think 10 to 15 years ago the back half of the grid wasn\u2019t the way it is now. We don\u2019t have pay drivers anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pierre Gasly said \u201cthe level on the grid is probably one of the highest\u201d he\u2019s seen in his career, while Oliver Bearman said the assessment was \u201cslightly harsh\u201d.<\/p>\n
Paddock consensus sides with Alonso\u2019s rivals. Because the teams are all financially healthy under the cost cap, the era of the pay driver \u2014 hired just to boost the bottom line \u2014 is over. Every driver has their seat because they bring competitive value to their team.<\/p>\n
The only possible exception, of course, is Stroll, who appears to have a job for life at his father\u2019s team. Though it\u2019s important to point out Stroll won titles in Italian Formula 4, the Toyota Racing Series and Formula 3 \u2014 ahead of George Russell \u2014 on his way to F1, making him far from unqualified to have got his chance in the top category.<\/p>\n
Whether he would still be in Formula 1 in any other situation, however, is another question.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"To win his maiden championship this weekend, Andrea Kimi Antonelli doesn\u2019t need to do much more than get…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":945824,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[64,63,817,813,816,85],"class_list":["post-945823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-formula-1","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-f1","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/945823","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=945823"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/945823\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/945824"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=945823"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=945823"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=945823"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}