F1 | Haas, Mazepin on Mexico: "Our car doesn't have much load available, but we'll do our best"

The last triple-header of the season opens the last phase of the championship before the grand finale in Abu Dhabi, with the Mexican Grand Prix, the first event of the triple-header which will also include Brazil and the new Qatar. For the Haas drivers, their first season in Formula 1 is also coming to an end which, with ups and downs, has seen them constantly fight at the bottom of the standings due to the lack of developments on the car, even if they still managed to gain some satisfaction during the championship, such as access to Q2 during the last round in Texas.

The race in Mexico will not represent a simple challenge for either the drivers or the teams, who will have to deal with the thinner air from various points of view, both in terms of the overall load and the cooling issue: “First of all, less oxygen means it's harder to drive at a high heart rate for the drivers, so physically it will be a challenge, but not only that, the air is less dense so there will be less downforce on the car. Unfortunately, we don't have much downforce available, but we will do our best and I am very curious to race on a new track and see how it feels,” explained Nikita Mazepin during the usual preview.

The Russian has never had the opportunity to race on the Mexican track, given that in recent years the preparatory categories have never stopped in Mexico City. Adapting to a new path won't be easy, but Mazepin wanted to give his point of view on the matter: “It's difficult to say. There are a lot of factors that go into feeling comfortable on a new trail. Normally, I don't hate low downforce tracks like Monza and Baku, I felt quite comfortable, but there are a lot more challenges in Mexico. Since I've never been there, I'm looking forward to the challenge and I'm open to what the weekend might bring,” explained the Haas rider. Mexico also means fans, with the fans painting one of the most beautiful frames of the season in the stadium area, the last one before the final straight: “Since I'm not Mexican, it doesn't really bring pressure on me, but it's nice to see people enjoying the event you are attending. It's great that Formula 1 brings smiles to people's faces and maybe makes their weekend more interesting, rather than staying at home watching the race on TV. The locals are very welcoming – I was there two weeks ago – so I got to feel a bit of the atmosphere and the passion of the people, how much they love Formula 1, so I'm looking forward to going out there and full speed,” Mazepin finally explained.