McLaren address Red Bull threat as latest upgrade increases title jeopardy

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has addressed the threat of Red Bull at this weekend's Mexico City Grand Prix, following another upgrade being introduced by its rivals. 

Red Bull has introduced a new cooling system for the Mexican GP, with the event being the highest on the F1 calendar when it comes to altitude above sea level. 

The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is situated 2,238 metres above sea level, and is the highest circuit on the planet. 

This puts intense pressure on engines and brakes, which has resulted in several failures over the years. Despite the radical cooling system introduced by Red Bull for the RB21, Stella is not concerned. 

Most teams introduce a Mexico-specific cooling system due to the thin air; however, McLaren's MCL39 has required very little modification.

As revealed by the McLaren team boss, the Woking-based team took cooling into account when designing this season's car, giving it confidence that performance will not be an issue this weekend.

Asked if Red Bull will have an advantage this weekend with its new cooling system, Stella told media including RacingNews365: "Well, in reality, I'm positive about the fact that we come to Mexico and we don't have to change the fundamental way in which we cool the car. 

"We are actually using parts that were already available. And some of you may remember that I said that one of the reasons why we perform well when it's hot, is actually the cooling technology that we use. 

"It's part of also the link with when I said we innovated from '24 to '25. And a lot of the innovation actually went in the cooling system. 

"So I think some of the approach I see on some other cars is more traditional, like we have a Mexico specific [cooling system]. 

"If anything, it gives me an opportunity for a shout out to the engineering team at McLaren that created such an efficient technology that actually works even in this not only thin air, but pretty hot air that we have this week in Mexico."