Sao Paulo’s Autódromo José Carlos Pace is set at a lower altitude than Mexico City but the venue is still located at 800m above sea level which slightly impacts aero performance.
Interlagos is a track of two extremes, with the first and third sectors requiring a low-drag car for the long straights, while its twisty middle sector favors high downforce.
Unsurprisingly, that specific mix is playing into the hands of Red Bull this weekend, with McLaren seemingly its closest contender.
Friday’s qualifying turned out to be a truncated session that unfolded under changing conditions.
So we’ve purposefully selected the speed trap readings from Saturday’s Sprint Shootout as they offered a better representation of the field’s velocity.
There’s no doubt that Alpine opted for minimal drag at Interlagos, which boosted the top speed down the main straight of the cars of Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon, although the latter was unable to fully exploit this asset due to his run-in with Fernando Alonso in SQ1.
Red Bull’s maximum velocity in Sao Paulo was reasonably good despite a higher drag wing mounted on the RB19. But this has undeniably helped the car reach its best aero compromise.
- Read also: Mercedes left baffled and ‘bruised’ by disappointing Sprint
Unfortunately, the speed trap readings offer a pretty grim picture of Mercedes’s maximum velocity this weekend, an impression confirmed by the team’s performance in Saturday’s sprint event.
In relative terms, the W14’s top speed is a disaster, with Lewis Hamilton and George Russell clocking in among the slowest in a straight line.
While this wasn’t actually news for the Brackley squad, its car’s destructive tyre degradation in Saturday’s sprint was to a certain extent. Sadly, this has dimmed Mercedes’ prospects for Sunday’s race even further.
Barring any unforeseen event, the Sao Paulo Grand Prix is Max’s to lose.
But if ever a wrench is thrown in the Dutchman’s works, Sunday’s mixed-up grid, on which the slower cars of Aston Martin and Mercedes precede the faster machines of Norris and Perez, could throw up a few surprises.
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