Since the arrival of the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in its present form to the Formula 1 calendar in 2015, there has not been a single wet race.
In fact, the only instance of rain during a race weekend in Mexico City occurred between FP2 and FP3 during that very first Grand Prix weekend at the rejuvenated circuit.
Nevertheless, a wet Mexican Grand Prix in F1 2020 is certainly possible, and it pays to be prepared!
Aerodynamics
When it comes to the wing settings, I actually found that running very high levels of wing angle didn’t help the car’s performance in the wet conditions.
The best balance I could find was 3-9 for the front and rear wings respectively. With these wings, you’ll have enough front-end grip and stability under traction without compromising yourself down the long pit straight.
Transmission
As at every other track, 50% on-throttle transmission is the way to go. This is because it helps the car to limit wheelspin under acceleration which is invaluable in the wet.
For your off-throttle setting, I suggest running 70%. Any lower than this and you’ll find the car difficult to handle, particularly in sector 2.
Suspension Geometry
I’ve gone for the conventional route for this aspect of the setup as well.
Running camber settings of -2.50 and -1.00 gives great stability when cornering at speed, though it does come at the cost of some outright speed. However, you should get it right more often with these settings, coming out ahead in the long run.
For the toe, the minimum angles available give great performance through some of the longer corners. Again, running 0.05 and 0.20 is most beneficial in sector 2.
Suspension
It’s important to balance stability and performance when designing suspension settings as well. In the wet, it’s better to shift the balance further towards a stability focus than you would in the dry.
For your front and rear suspension settings, I would go for 1-5. The softer front suspension ensures that the car won’t snap away from you while the stiffer rear end allows you to throw the car around a little more.
I tend to prefer running fairly stiff anti-roll bars at most circuits in the wet. In Mexico, I suggest running 9-9 so as to prevent the car from washing wide mid-corner.
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For your ride height, going with 9-11 will help to ensure that the car remains predictable, even when the track surface doesn’t.
Brakes
I love using 100% brake pressure along with 50% brake bias as I feel it gives me the best potential stopping power without stressing the front brakes to the point of locking up.
However, it is important that you find a brake setup that you are comfortable with. If you find yourself locking up consistently with 100% brake pressure then turn it down until you find your comfort zone.
Tyres
For your tyre pressures, less inflated tyres tend to work better in wet conditions.
Specifically, I would recommend 21.8psi on the fronts with 19.5psi on the rears. The low rear pressure setting in particular should give you big gains in terms of finding smooth traction in the rain.
READ MORE: F1 2020 US Grand Prix wet setup guide
Even though a wet race in Mexico City is fairly unlikely, it’s not impossible. If the rain does begin to fall, you can rest easy knowing that you have the right setup for the race ahead.