Story By: FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE LA CIUDAD DE MEXICO – MEXICO CITY, MEX – There are only 100 days left until the thrill of the FORMULA 1 MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX 2024 PRESENTED BY HEINEKEN. This Friday, July 19, the countdown reaches a momentous landmark as the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez prepares to welcome thousands of fans for its annual F1ESTA.
With just a hundred days to go until the 20 cars line up on the grid at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, here are some of the highlights fans have enjoyed about the Mexico City Grand Prix:
The Circuit: Home to a Formula 1 race since 1962, the Autódromo Pedro y Ricardo Rodríguez de la Vega (known simply as ‘Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez’), has welcomed 24 races in the sport’s top category.
With one of the longest straights on the calendar (1.3 kilometres), the track presents many challenges for drivers and engineers, with low, medium and high-speed turns. In addition, the high altitude of Mexico City means that getting the best set-up in the aerodynamics package is a challenge.
History: With more than 60 years of Formula 1 history, the Mexico City Grand Prix is full of memories and legendary names. It was here where British drivers Trevor Taylor and Jim Clark took the joint victory in November 1962; and where Clark himself won on three separate occasions — although he lost the World Championship to John Surtees on the final lap of the 1964 race.
There have also been fierce battles between legends Alain Prost, Ayrton Senna, Gerhard Berger and Riccardo Patrese, as well as Nigel Mansell’s famous round-the-outside overtake at the banked final curve in 1990.
New feats: The current era of the race has also seen moments that are already an important part of the history of the Mexico City Grand Prix. To date, Max Verstappen is the biggest winner, having won five times on Mexican soil (three of them in a row). While Sergio Pérez is the first Mexican to finish on the podium at his home GP (2021 and 2022). It was also the scene of one of the fastest top speeds ever recorded in F1. At the 2016 Mexico City Grand Prix, Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas reached an incredible top speed of 372.5kph (231.4mph).
As the countdown begins, the F1ESTA 2024 of the championship will echo around the world. As this year’s contest nears its conclusion, the FORMULA 1 MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX 2024 PRESENTED BY HEINEKEN could be a key and decisive event in the both the FIA Formula 1 Drivers’ and Constructors’ World Championships.