Formula 1’s America journey continues with a trip south for the Mexico City Grand Prix, one week on from the round in Austin. As usual, the atmosphere inside the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez will be electrifying because of the exuberance of the fans who pack the grandstands in the spectacular Foro Solo stadium section.
The race is run over 71 laps of the 4.304 kilometres of Mexico City’s Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez which boasts 17 corners. Its main peculiarity is its altitude, which at over 2,200 metres above sea level means the air is very rarefield. Therefore the cars generate less downforce making car set-up and technical management particularly demanding for the teams.
The main straight is over 1.2 kilometres long, on which the cars reach very high top speeds, partly down to the minimal downforce. The track surface is very smooth and at the start of the weekend does not provide much grip, as it does not get used much.
As was the case in Austin last weekend, for the Mexican round there is again a jump in the compound selection between the hardest of the three and the medium.
While the Medium and Soft are the C4 and C5 respectively, as in 2024, the Hard will now the C2. For the Mexico City track, this compound is an extremely conservative choice, with a considerable delta in terms of lap time compared to the other two, while also offering less grip.
Last year, the soft only came into play in qualifying and then in the race, only in an attempt to secure the extra point for setting the fastest lap, but now the scenario could change considerably.
In 2024, all drivers, except Sergio Perez, adopted a one-stop strategy last year. Most started on the medium compound, while six driver, all of whom went on to finish outside the top eleven, preferred the hard for the first stint.
United States racer Jak Crawford will make his Formula 1 weekend debut at the 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix when he gets a rookie run-out for Aston Martin.
Crawford will take over the AMR25 of Lance Stroll during Free Practice 1 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, in one of the team’s four mandated rookie outings for 2025.
Crawford is currently P2 in the Formula 2 standings – while the Houston, Texas born driver has a wealth of experience in F1 machinery, having racked up over 2,000km of testing in various Aston Martin F1 cars, as well as being a regular in the team’s simulator at their Silverstone headquarters.
Crawford is not the only rookie taking part in the FP1 sessions, with nine different rookies taking part.
I’m thrilled to drive the AMR25 next week in Mexico for my first official Formula One session. I’ve worked closely with the team all year, so to now take the next step and get track time on a Grand Prix weekend is really exciting. Announcing this in Texas, where I’m from, makes it even more special after a busy week with the team and Aramco in Houston. Crawford on the news.
It’s fantastic to give Jak the opportunity to take part in FP1 in Mexico. He’s shown real maturity and provided strong technical feedback throughout the year, and these sessions are an important part of how we develop young talent. Jak has had a strong season in Formula 2 and has been a key contributor to the development of both the AMR25 and AMR26. This is a great chance for him to continue progressing while helping us gather valuable data. Andy Cowell, CEO and Team Principal of Aston Martin.
F2 title contender and Williams Racing Academy Driver, Luke Browning will take part in the first practice session for the Mexico City Grand Prix.
Browning will be taking over the wheel of Carlos Sainz’s FW47 for the opening 60 minute session at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, fulfilling the third of four mandated rookie driver runs for Williams this year.
It is set to mark his second outing in Williams’ 2025 challenger following an FP1 appearance in Bahrain earlier this year, which came after Browning’s F1 practice debut at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
He has also driven the FW45 extensively in the squad’s TPC (Testing of Previous Cars) programme, while providing additional support through simulator development work.
Browning is currently involved in a close fight for the F2 title, holding third in the standings on 161 points with two rounds to go – behind Aston Martin development driver Jak Crawford on 169 points and leader Leonardo Fornaroli on 188 points.
I’m hugely grateful to be given another chance to drive in a free practice session with Williams and to experience the FW47 for a second time. I’ve been working hard to prepare for the session so I can make the most of this amazing opportunity and help the team plan for the race weekend ahead. I can’t wait to get back into an F1 car and I’m incredibly grateful to everyone in the Driver Academy and at Williams for their trust and support. Browning on the news.
Luke has had a strong season in Formula 2 so far, consistently showing his pace across a range of circuits and racing conditions. He has continued to support the team through his simulator work and the TPC programme, preparing him well for his next free practice session. We look forward to seeing him take to the track in Mexico as he continues to build his experience as a Williams Racing Academy Driver. Sven Smeets, Williams’ Sporting Director.
Formula 1 has announced that the Mexico City Grand Prix will remain on the calendar through 2028 as part of a new three-year extension starting from 2026.
Since its return to the sport in 2015, the Grand Prix has established itself as one of the standout events of the year with its passionate fans and electric atmosphere.
The Mexico City Grand Prix encapsulates the vibrancy and culture of the Mexican capital, where high speed racing meets Day of the Dead celebrations and incredible live music from world class acts.
The multi award winning event has become a favourite of fans, teams and drivers alike, with every event sold out since its return to the calendar. 405,000 people enjoyed the race weekend in 2024, setting a new record for the Mexico City Grand Prix.
Built in 1959, the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit offers fans a spectacle like no other in motorsport. Sitting over 2km above seas level, both driver and car must battle the altitude as they tackle the 4.3km lap, which includes the iconic Estadio stadium section, where the drivers are met with a sea of more than 60,000 fans.
We are very excited to announce that the Mexico City Grand Prix will continue to be part of our calendar until 2028. Formula 1 is energy, passion and emotion, and every year the unique atmosphere created by our fans in Mexico City is one of the most incredible and energetic experiences of our championship. I want to express my sincere thanks to President Claudia Sheinbaum for her strong commitment to Formula 1, to the Head of Government Clara Brugada for her continued support and to Alejandro Soberón Kuri, whose leadership has been fundamental to the success of this event. I also want to thank the local stakeholders and businesses that share our vision and who make this event so special. We look forward to continuing this extraordinary collaboration together and seeing the incredible enthusiasm of the Mexican fans again in October. Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1.
We are very excited to announce that the Mexico GP will be held for three more years. We are deeply grateful for the invaluable support of the Government of Mexico City, from the Head of Government of Mexico City, Clara Brugada, to our President, Claudia Sheinbaum, as well as Stefano Domenicali from Formula 1, who have made it possible to continue bringing Formula 1 to our country. This not only contributes to the economic development of Mexico City, but also promotes our city, as well as our country, in a significant way worldwide. Together, we will continue to work hard to ensure that fans get the most out of an event that offers a unique live entertainment experience, and which for almost 10 years has shown the world the quality of the events we organise in this city. Alejandro Soberon Kuri, President and CEO of CIE.
Carlos Sainz has sealed an assured victory in the Mexico City Grand Prix, the Ferrari driver bouncing back after initially losing the lead to Max Verstappen to score a fourth win in Formula 1.
Verstappen had initially moved into first place during an eventful start, but Sainz snatched the position back on Lap 9. Drama then unfolded in the laps that followed as Verstappen engaged in a scrap with title rival Lando Norris – leading to Verstappen having two 10-second penalties for his move on the Brit.
That melee allowed Charles Leclerc through into second, and from there the Ferrari duo enjoyed a mostly unchallenged drive at the front – until Norris managed to chase Leclerc down in the latter stages and take second place after a wide moment for the Monegasque.
The full top 10 are- P1: Sainz, P2: Norris, P3: Leclerc, P4: Hamilton, P5: Russell, P6: Verstappen, P7: Magnussen, P8: Piastri, P9: Hulkenberg and P10: Gasly.
A great result for Ferrari! Just what the team needed and it now means with their result of 1st and 3rd, they leapfrog Red Bull in the constructors’ and now they are only 29 points away from McLaren! A good strategy for the team for both drivers as well, and they managed to snatch the fastest lap point.
A good result for Norris! P2 which helps in his championship fight, it does make you think what would’ve happened if he didn’t get into that fight with Verstappen at the beginning of the race, possibly of been fighting Sainz for the win? Who knows! A bit of work for Piastri he ended up finishing 8th, after climbing through the field after a tough qualifying on Saturday, hopefully he has a better weekend this weekend!
A very good result for Mercedes, unfortunately not enough pace for a podium, but P4 for Hamilton and P5 for Russell, which is very good for the team. Now they will be looking forward to this weekend, Mercedes normally perform very well around Brazil and as you know both drivers love it here.
An okay result for Verstappen, P6, it could’ve been a lot better for him, don’t get me wrong I don’t think he would’ve won the race but at least a podium was on the cards – however instead his gave 10 points towards Norris’ title fight… As for Perez – he had a good start making up quite a few places but he was also given a penalty for being too far in his grid box – he had some tough battles aswell and ended up getting damage he ended up finishing 17th which is last as we had 3 drivers retire! A weekend to majorly forget, but this really isn’t helping his fight for his seat next year…
A good result for Haas – they have managed to turn it around in the race to convert their qualifying results into points which is really good – I now feel like they will be hopefully like this for the rest of the season, they managed to grab 7th and 9th.
Gasly was the last of the points scorers, it is nice to see him back in the points – he makes it 6 different teams scoring points!
Now we don’t have to wait too long for the next race as it is this weekend, and it’s our final stop in this triple header! We are in Brazil for Round 21 where the Sprint returns!
Gracias Mexico! It’s incredible to see this crowd, I’ve been feeling their support all week. I feel like I have a lot of fanbase here in Mexico and they gave me a lot of strength to do the weekend that I’ve done. Honestly, I really wanted this one, I really needed it also for myself – I wanted to get it done. I’ve been saying for a while I wanted one more win before leaving Ferrari and to do it here in front of this mega crowd is incredible. Now, four races left, I want to enjoy as much as possible and if another one comes, I will go for it. Sainz after winning.
Carlos Sainz has taken a stunning pole position for the Mexico City Grand Prix, with the Ferrari driver going fastest from Max Verstappen and Lando Norris during what had been a dramatic qualifying session featuring a red flag and two shock exits in Q1.
While Verstappen looked like he initially sealed provisional pole in the first runs of Q3, the time was deleted due to track limits, which promoted Sainz up into the top spot. And when it came to the second runs, the Spaniard went even quicker by pumping in an impressive 1m 15.946s.
Verstappen claimed P2, the Red Bull man’s time 0.255s back from Sainz, while Norris took third after previously setting the pace in Q1 and Q2 for McLaren.
The full top 10 are- Pole: Sainz, P2: Verstappen, P3: Norris, P4: Leclerc, P5: Russell, P6: Hamilton, P7: Magnussen, P8: Gasly, P9: Albon, P10: Hulkenberg.
A lovely result for Ferrari, especially coming off the back of last weekend aswell! It’s Carlos’ best ever qualifying at Mexico and his first pole position of this season, which makes Ferrari the only team with both drivers on pole this season. Leclerc starting fourth aswell, which is a good result, he will be hoping to grab a podium at least. As coming into this weekend, Ferrari look like they are the team to win again.
A good result for Max, he had some struggles over the weekend in practice so to turn it around in qualifying is good, now to just hope that it all goes okay in the race. Perez made a bit of a shock Q1 exit at his home grand prix, starting 18th, which is a shame as no one wants to perform badly at home, but this is unfortunately just normal now…
McLaren have had a bit of a mixed result, Norris qualifying third, which is I believe the best place out of the top three to qualify here, as it is quite a long run down to turn one. His teammate qualified in P17, which was a shock, and his run of Q3 appearances comes to an end. He has a lot of work to do if he wants to score some points for the constructors championship.
A good result for Mercedes, P5 and P6, hopefully they can capitalise on it during the race and score some good points, maybe even score a podium if they are lucky.
A good result for Haas, P7 and P10, there having really good results at the moment, due to the upgrades they have brought, if they keep having good results and scoring points this is going to help their battle in the Constructor’s championship fight with VCARB…
I’m very happy. A great couple of laps. A lot of times around Mexico you always have the feeling like you cannot put a lap together and it’s extremely difficult with how much sliding there is, but today honestly my two laps of Q3 were pretty much identical, almost perfect. I just put two really solid laps in Q3, enough for pole, and I’m very happy because that’s not normally the case around Mexico with how tricky it is. Carlos Sainz on pole.
The second stop of our triple header is Mexico City, where the circuit is named in honour of the brothers, Pedro and Ricardo Rodriguez.
The tyres for this this weekend are C3 (Hard), C4 (Medium), C5 (Soft), which is a step softer than past race weekends, this decision was taken in order to open up more strategic options for the race.
The first day of track action, Friday, will be slightly different than usual. The second free practice session will be entirely given over to validate the softer compounds in Pirelli’s 2025 race (C4, C5 and C6). The session is extended to 90 minutes instead of the usual 60 minutes, and all drivers and teams will have to follow a specific programme established by Pirelli.
The Hermanos Rodriguez track is 4.304km long, with 17 corners and a surface that is low in terms of its severity on tyres. They have resurfaced the section between turns 12 and 15 in the third sector – the smooth asphalt and the fact the track is hardly used means that grip levels are rather low at the start of the weekend.
Mexico City is located at over 2000 metres above sea level and the rarified air has an influence on car performance, reducing the aerodynamic downforce generated by the cars. One of the consequences of this is that top speeds reached are very high, despite a configuration that actually looks typical of tracks that require maximum downforce.
In terms of strategy, this is a usually a one-stop race. Last year, the majority of drivers tried to manage the Medium to lengthen the first stint as much as possible.
The second stop on #F1 long trip to the Americas will be the @mexicogp . The tyres are the C3 as Hard, the C4 as Medium and the C5 as Soft. The first day of track action,will be slightly different to usual: you can find out more here 👇#F1ESTAhttps://t.co/3ULl81eI0Npic.twitter.com/JyafJ5ERgN
Mercedes junior, and next year’s replacement for Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Antonelli, will get back behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car as he takes part in his second FP1 session of the season in Mexico.
The 18 year old Italian will take over Hamilton’s W15 in Mexico City, having also driven on Friday at Monza in September. However, the session in Italy came to an early end as a high-speed crash saw him put his borrowed car into the Monza wall just minutes into his debut.
The crash had no bearing on Mercedes’ decision to promote the youngster, with Antonelli confirmed as Hamilton’s replacement at the Silver Arrows the very next day.
Antonelli is currently competing in Formula 2, where so far he has took two wins and 3 podiums, he currently sits sixth in the drivers’ championship with two rounds to go!
FIA regulations state all F1 drivers must sit out one FP1 each season for a rookie who has no more than two Grand Prix starts.
I’m looking forward to driving in FP1 and playing my part in helping the team make a good start on track this weekend. It is a new circuit for me and one I have been working hard to prepare for. The altitude makes it unique and it’s a challenge I’m excited to experience. I want to thank the team for giving me this opportunity to contribute. Antonelli on the outing.
Aston Martin have announced that test and reserve driver, Felipe Drugovich will make another free practice appearance for the team at the upcoming Mexico City Grand Prix.
Brazilian racer Drugovich, is set to driver Fernando Alonso’s car during Friday’s opening session, partially fulfilling the requirement for each team to run a rookie driver in two FP1’s per season.
It will mark Drugovich’s first outing in the AMR24, which he has helped develop through simulator work at Aston Martin’s factory. He add’s to past FP1 runs in Abu Dhabi in 2022 and Italy and Abu Dhabi last season.
I’m really excited to drive the AMR24 for the first time – I’ve been looking forward to it for a while! I’ve spent a lot of the year working on the development of this car in the team’s simulator, so it will be valuable for me to feel the correlation between the sim and the real thing. Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is a track I haven’t driven before. It’s a challenging circuit with a mix of long straights and technical corners, so I’ll be spending time on the simulator ahead of the event so that I’m ready to go come FP1. Drugovich on the news.
We’re excited to give Felipe this first opportunity to drive the AMR24 during Free Practice 1 in Mexico City. Felipe is regularly in Silverstone on our simulator, contributing towards the development of this car with his detailed and thoughtful feedback, so it will be a rewarding experience for him to get out on track in Mexico. During the session, Felipe will be working his way through the team’s run plan, collecting vital data to support our decision-making throughout the rest of the weekend and aiding with the set-up of the car. Mike Krack, Aston Martin Team Principal.
McLaren reserve driver Pato O’Ward will be getting behind the wheel of the MCL38 in front of his home crowd during FP1 at the Mexico City Grand Prix.
The Mexican driver – who has been dovetailing his role as reserve with his driving duties for Arrow McLaren in IndyCar – will be getting the opportunity due to F1 teams being required to run a young driver in two FP1 sessions per season.
O’Ward, who earned promotion to McLaren’s reserve driver pool for the 2024 season, has had experience of F1 machinery before having taken part in several development tests in the team’s 2021 car.
The 25 year old has also driven in the 2021 young driver test in Abu Dhabi and also drove in FP1 at both the 2022 and 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekends.
The Mexican finished 5th in Indy Car this year with 3 wins to his name and 460 points aswell.
The Mexico City Grand Prix weekend takes place from October 25th – 27th with McLaren currently leading the constructors’ championship as well as battling Red Bull in the drivers’ championship too.
I’ve got some pretty exciting news to tell you all today. I will be joining McLaren Formula 1 at the Mexican Grand Prix but this time around I will be jumping in the car for FP1. I cannot wait, this really is a dream come true for me – being able to jump into an F1 car in front of my home crowd. I can’t thank Andrea [Stella], Zak [Brown] – the whole team – enough for this amazing opportunity. The car’s been a rocket this year so [I’ll be] trying to do my part and help them as much as I can for the rest of the year. Can’t wait to get going and I’m actually flying over to Europe at the end of this week to start all my Formula 1 duties. I can’t wait. O’Ward on the news.
Round 20 is over, and we had a very mixed race, with a top driver out on lap 1, a red flag due to another crash and a driver coming from the back to end up in the top 10.
Max Verstappen scored a dominant victory at this weekend’s Mexcio City Grand Prix, making it his 16th victory of the season. Lewis Hamilton made it back on the podium after being disqualified the weekend before. Charles Leclerc also makes it on the podium in third.
The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Hamilton, P3: Leclerc, P4: Sainz, P5: Norris, P6: Russell, P7: Ricciardo, P8: Piastri, P9: Albon and P10: Ocon.
A good result for Hamilton and Leclerc, especially after being disqualified from Round 19 last week, this means for Hamilton that his closed the gap down to Perez.
Talking of Perez… he had a good start once the lights went out but it didn’t last very long as he tried to go round the outside of Leclerc, who was sandwiched between both Red Bulls and had no where to go which saw Perez have contact and spin round. He managed to get going again, but he went into the pits and retired from there. It’s not very good for the Mexican at all, with the speculation surrounding his seat for next season and if he will be on the grid next year…
Lando Norris what a drive from the Brit, starting 17th and he had an outstanding recovery drive to end up P5! Piastri also had an okay race, so a decent weekend for the team in total.
Ohhhh Daniel Ricciardooo, POINTS!!! After having an impressive qualifying session he managed to stick it out and battled hard to stay in the top 10 and score some all important points for the team.
The red flag was for Magnussen on lap 33, we saw the Dane spinning into the barrier at the esses, with the rear of his car on fire, forcing the stewards to stop proceedings by waving a red flag.
Looking at the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Standings. Hamilton is only 20 points away from Sergio Perez in second, with three race weekend’s left. Sainz has overtook Alonso in the Standings but they are both on 183 points. Norris is only 3 points ahead of Charles Leclerc in P7, and Russell is 15 points behind the Monegasque driver. Ricciardo moves up to 17th, his only two points behind his teammate whose in 16th and Hulkenberg 3 points ahead in 15th.
McLaren in 4th have built up a gap to Aston Martin in 5th, they will be looking to score more this weekend as its a sprint weekend so more chance for points. AlphaTauri have jumped up to 8th and are on 16 points, after Daniel Ricciardo scored well, but they have work to do as Alfa Romeo are also on 16 points in 9th and Haas are on 12 points in 10th, so its all to play for in the final 3 rounds…
We are at our second race weekend in our triple header, and it’s the home Grand Prix of Red Bull’s Sergio Perez!
Can the home hero take the win? Or will Max Verstappen show another dominating race weekend to make it victory number 16 this season?
Or, will we see the likes of Lewis Hamilton or Lando Norris battle for the win also? It’s all to play for this weekend as we only have four races left of the season!
Who needs to shine?
Obviously with the news that Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton are disqualified after the race last weekend, both drivers will be wanting to get those points back as much as possible! Hamilton is currently fighting for P2 in the Drivers’ Championship with Perez and the 7 time World Champion will be wanting a few good results to achieve that. Whereas, Leclerc he has been jumped by Lando Norris for P6, and he has got George Russell behind him in 8th only 8 points away, so it’s very close between P4 and P8 where only 40 points separate them…
Looking at the results from last weekend, Alonso had a costly DNF he will be wanting to have a very different weekend, hoping to score some points. That will also be the same for McLaren’s Oscar Piastri aswell.
Home hero, Sergio Perez will be wanting to do well in front of the home crowd, I can expect he won’t go any less than a podium, so hopefully we get to see some good overtakes from the Mexican.
Predictions for Qualifying-
My top five predictions are- Pole: Verstappen, P2: Hamilton, P3: Norris, P4: Perez and P5: Russell.
The low degradation we have here at Mexico results in relatively few overtakes, as it’s hard to build a compound delta. The low degradation also means that there is a very low undercut potential.
So I don’ think we will be getting a crazy race on Sunday, we may get a little bit of drama going into Turn 1 but nothing to drastic.
Formula 2 racer, Jack Doohan will get behind the wheel for the Alpine F1 team during first practice in Mexico and Abu Dhabi.
The 20 year old is currently sitting fourth in the F2 drivers’ standings with one round remaining. Doohan – now into his second season with the Alpine Academy – previously took part in the same two FP1 sessions for the outit during the latter stages of the 2022 campaign.
Despite his first outing in Mexcio City being cut short due to “anomalies” on his Renault power unit, the Australian admitted that the memory of making his Formula 1 weekend debut was something he would “cherish forever”.
Now Doohan will return to the cockpit when he drives the A523 with F1 teams required to run a young driver – defined as someone who has started no more than two Grands Prix – in two FP1 sessions per season.
The Abu Dhabi weekend will feature both the Formula 1 and Formula 2 season finales so it is likely to be a busy event for Doohan who enter the F2 final round with a seven point advantage over fellow Alpine Academy driver Victor Martins.
Very grateful to BWT Alpine F1 team for the opportunity to drive the A523 in Free practice at the Mexican and Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Can’t wait to go through the motions in a weeks time and hop into the car!
The tyres have been chosen for this weekend’s Mexico City Grand Prix, where we go back to the normal race weekend format!
The compounds the team will have are: C3 (Hard), C4 (Medium) and C5 (Soft), this is one step softer than last years race weekend.
Graining is often seen at this track, with the cars sliding more due to the reduced aerodynamic effect and high altitude.
There is also a big difference in temperature between the start and the end of each day: which is a factor to bear in mind when analysing potential degradation rates.
Max Verstappen is the most successful driver in Mexico City, with four wins from seven participations. This also means that Red Bull has more victories than any other team in Mexico.
A one-stopper was the most popular strategy last year. Max Verstappen started on used softs and then finished the race on the mediums, ahead of Lewis Hamilton who instead started on the mediums and then finished the race on the hard tyre.
The second stop on Formula 1’s American tour takes place in Mexico City on the circuit named after Pedro and Ricardo Rodriguez: the brothers who were local motorsport heroes throughout the 1960s and 1970s. The track, located on the west side of the city, is just over four kilometres long with 17 corners and it sits at more than 2000 metres of altitude. This has an important effect on car performance, with the rarefied air reducing drag and also downforce. As a result, the aero settings on the cars are similar to those used on high-downforce circuits – only with a much reduced effect on the tyres. The grip from the asphalt is also much less than average, as surface roughness is among the lowest of the entire calendar.
This year we have decided to bring the three softest compounds to Mexico – C3, C4 and C5 – after careful reflection based on last year’s information, as well as the simulations that the teams have as always supplied to us. This should lead to a wider variety of strategy choices throughout the race, opening the door to a two-stop strategy as well. Last year, when the chosen compounds were C2, C3, and C4, nearly all the drivers stopped only once, mainly using soft and medium.
Mexico also gives us the chance to try out a new variant of the C4 with all the teams. During the two hours of free practice on Friday each driver will have two sets of these new prototypes to use as they wish. Once we have analysed all the data, we will then decide whether or not to homologate this version for use in 2024.
The Mexico City Grand Prix at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez will be remaining on the calendar until 2025, following an agreement between F1, the Government of Mexico City and the race promoters.
Formula 1 returned to Mexico in 2015 and this season’s race is set to attract 350,000 fans over the three days. The first Grand Prix held under the contract extension is set to take place on October 27th to 29th, 2023.
Between 2015 and 2021, the event generated over $2,443 million USD in economic activity and created 57,080. The 2021 event created 9,236 jobs alone and generated an economic benefit for the region on $768 million USD with a further $494 million USD in global media exposure.
I am very pleased to announce that Formula 1 will continue to race in Mexico City for another three years under this new agreement. Every year the race attracts a large number of passionate fans, and the atmosphere is incredible, and I know everyone will be excited by this news. I want to thank Claudia Sheinbaum, the Head of Government for Mexico City, and Alejandro Soberon and his team for their ongoing commitment to Formula 1 and the continued success of the event.
Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1.
The Mexico City Grand Prix contract extension has been made possible thanks to the leadership of Claudia Sheinbaum and the Mexico City Government. The ability to host the race in the nation’s capital until 2025 is the result of a coordinated effort to preserve an event that brings benefits to the city and excitement to thousands of fans. We will keep working to ensure the race continues to be a strong contributor to our city’s economy.
Corporacion Interamericana de Entretenimiento (CIE) President and CEO, Alejandro Soberon.
Formula 1 is very important for the city, not only because of its considerable economic impact, but also because millions of people around the world watch it and it showcases the beauty and grandeur of Mexico City to the whole country and the entire world. Since we took over the government of Mexico City, we endeavoured to put in place a mechanism that would allow Formula 1 to be held with the participation of entrepreneurs who not only benefit from the event but are also keen to make it happen because they love the city, and they love Mexico.
Head of Government of Mexico City, Claudia Sheinbaum.
Formula 2 racer, Jack Doohan will be making his Formula 1 race weekend debut at the Mexico City Grand Prix when he drives for Alpine in the opening practice.
Doohan, is part of Alpine’s Driver Academy, will tackle the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Esteban Ocon’s car. As well as this he will get a second outing in FP1 in the season-ending Abu Dhabi GP.
Mexico will be the second time the 19 year old has sampled 2022-spec machinery, having completed the permitted 100km of running on demonstration tyres during the teams filming day at Monza last month.
Doohan, son of five time 500cc motorcycle world champion Mick, has also tested last year’s Alpine this season through test days in Qatar in May, Monza in June and Budapest in September.
The Australian, is currently fourth in his debut season in F2, having stepped up a class after finishing second in F3 in 2021. He has won three races this season, plus scored three further podiums and three pole positions and is in the hunt to claim third in the standings.
Doohan is Alpine’s most high-profile junior driver following the departure of F2 champion Oscar Piastri who will be making his F1 race debut alongside Lando Norris at McLaren next year.
I’m extremely grateful to Alpine for giving me this opportunity to drive in Free Practice in Mexico. It’s always a huge honour to be entrusted to drive a Formula 1 car, so to have the opportunity on a Grand Prix weekend is very special. Ultimately, the aim is to be doing this every week and this experience is another step closer to achieving that goal. I’ve prepared as best as I can, and I think it’s going to be very exciting to experience the car at this type of circuit with the high altitude and very high top speed. I’ll work hard on the day, do everything the team sets out and, at the same time, enjoy the moment as I know it’s going to be a unique opportunity.
Jack Doohan on FP1 sessions.
We are very pleased to announce Jack will join the team in Mexico and take over driving duties for Free Practice 1. We have all been impressed with Jack’s progression across many areas this season and he’s deserving of this chance as we continue to nurture his high potential. It’s important to give our young drivers opportunities to test Formula 1 cars and our Academy programme has proven to be successful in doing just that. We expect Jack to work hard during the session and take as much as he can from the experience of being involved in a Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend.
As was the case last weekend, the C2 (Hard), C3 (Medium), C4 (Soft), has been chosen for the Mexican Grand Prix weekend.
Mexico is the highest event on the F1 Calendar, at more than 2200 metres above sea level. The thin air affects engines as well as aerodynamics, generating less downforce at lower speeds especially. With this year’s ground effect floors, its going to be interesting to note the impact on downforce compared to previous years.
During the day in Mexico, there’s quite a lot of temperature variation, even in the space of a few hours, which affects thermal degradation an important parameter that the teams will need to monitor.
The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is the ‘contingency plan’ to replace the cancelled 2023 tyre test planned for the Japanese Grand Prix. The FP2 session in Mexico will run for 90 minutes to assess the softer slick compounds for next year, while in Austin the harder prototypes were run.
If a team uses a young driver for FP1, t is allowed to run its own programme for the first part of FP2 before concentrating on the tyre test, for the remainder of the session.
Over the course of a season, our tyres have to cope with a wide variety of conditions depending on the individual characteristics of each venue. If you look back at the last two races, Suzuka was all about lateral forces and Austin was well-balanced aerodynamically, but Mexico this weekend focuses on traction and braking. The Hermanos Rodriguez circuit does not offer a lot of grip and the energy demands on the tyres are reasonably low, as the cars do not generate much downforce in the thin air at high altitude, especially in slow corners. This year, the circuit might be more front-limited, as the current generation of car tends to understeer through slow corners – which Mexico has plenty of – and this can lead to some sliding on the front tyres. Due to the nature of the venue the circuit tends to feature a dusty surface with plenty of track evolution. Understanding this and getting the tyre warm-up exactly right is likely to be the key to success.”
Mario Isla, Motorsport Director
It’s race week, as @F1 heads to the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez for the #MexicoGP, where the high altitude of the venue adds to the technical challenge of the layout 🇲🇽
Jordan's Track Talk 