Mexico City's brutal altitude just got worse. At 2,286 meters, the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez has always forced turbos to spin harder in thin air to feed engines enough oxygen. But 2026's rulebook killed the MGU-H—the hybrid motor-generator that masked turbo lag—and now manufacturers are fighting that lag naked.
Honda's chief engineer calls it "the most interesting and important topic" at this track, confirming Austin brought countermeasures after Singapore exposed serious driveability issues. The Japanese manufacturer admits worst-case scenarios could force them to detune the ICE if the turbo can't generate enough boost at altitude. Ferrari enters as the favorite: their smaller turbo spools faster, a decisive edge when lag defines corner exit.
Active aero compounds the problem. Teams still run Monaco-level wings to claw back downforce in the thin air, but the 2026 package behaves nothing like the old cars. Free practice will separate who solved Mexico's physics problem from who's guessing.
Read the full story at Motorsport.com
