Mercedes aims for damage limitation at “most difficult” race

The Mercedes Formula 1 team is aiming to “limit the damage” at the Mexican Grand Prix, a race it expects will prove its most challenging of the remaining rounds in 2019.

Mercedes sealed its sixth consecutive constructors’ world championship last time out in Japan, with Valtteri Bottas claiming his first victory in five months at Suzuka, while teammate and championship leader Lewis Hamilton came home third.

Despite winning the last two races, the German manufacturer is not anticipating to join its rivals Red Bull and Ferrari in the fight for victory at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit, a venue it has struggled for performance at in recent years.

No Mercedes driver has won the Mexico City race since 2016 and Hamilton and Bottas could only manage a distant fourth and fifth last year.

“There is no sense of entitlement in this team for future success, so we were quickly back to our usual race preparation routine after Japan,” Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said.

“We know that the four remaining races are not going to be easy and we expect Mexico to be the most difficult one for us.

“The high altitude of the track brings some fairly unusual challenges as the low air density affects the downforce of the car, the cooling and the engine performance.

“It's a combination that doesn't particularly suit our car, but we will give it everything to try and limit the damage.”

Hamilton has his first opportunity to clinch a sixth drivers’ world title this weekend, providing he can outscore Bottas by 14 points. The Briton has claimed his last two world championship titles in Mexico.

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