F1 Ferrari Mexico City Grand Prix – Return to Mexico City Preview

This weekend sees the second of three rounds of the championship held in the Americas. After the United States Grand Prix, it’s the turn of Mexico which, like the race in Austin, is back on the calendar after a one year absence.

The race has always been held in Mexico City, at the same circuit, which over the years has undergone changes to its name and layout. The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is located within the large Magdalena Mixhuca sports complex, not far from the centre of the megalopolis. The track features a long straight in the first sector, while the second is more technical. Before changes introduced in 2015, the final part featured the Peraltada as its last corner, the name meaning ‘raised up’ in Spanish, which had a 10 degree banking. Since the race returned to the calendar after an absence of 23 years, the track has undergone extensive revisions, the most significant being in this final sector. The Peraltada has now been changed into a very slow stadium section, the Foro Sol, which is less demanding in terms of driving, but gives spectators the chance to see the cars close up at low speed. The cars pass between very high grandstands, usually packed with fans making so much noise that even the drivers in the cockpit can hear them. There are 17 corners on the 4.304 kilometre lap and there are three DRS zones. The race runs over 71 laps, equivalent to 305.354 km.