After much deliberation and negotiations, the Mexican F1 race is back on the 2015 calendar. Read on to get details about the race and reactions from F1 personalities.
That’s it!
All final negotiations are complete.
Hold onto your breath…!!
We have a new race in the Formula 1 Season this year!
Formula One group CEO Bernie Ecclestone has given the green signal; Mexico is all set to host a competing round of the 2015 FIA Formula One World Championship.
Mexico finally gets to host the prestigious Mexican F1 race after a long time; nearly two decades.
Francisco Mass Pena, the undersecretary of quality and regulation at the Ministry of Tourism in Mexico, believes this will benefit the country immensely and generate close to $2 Billion in revenue over a period of five years and create more than 18,000 new jobs.
The three-day event, happening from October 30 to November 1 will be witnessed by some 520 million television audience.
The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, named after legendary Mexican racing siblings (hermanos) Pedro and Ricardo Rodriguez will hold the race on a modified version of the track that was last used for F1 in 1992. The race will be run on a 4.421-kilometre circuit that has 15 turns including a three-turn chicane.
The side-stands and starting stretch grandstands will all accommodate at least 1, 50,000 spectators.
Mexico City first hosted an F1 racing event in 1963 and ran for the next seven years. It then returned in 1986 to host six more Grand Prix races, the last one won by Nigel Mansell, a Williams-Renault driver in 1992 where he was crowned World Champion. Tavo Hellmund, co-founder of the 2015 Formula 1 ‘Gran Premio de Mexico’, who also spearheaded the United States Grand Prix’s introduction in Austin, USA, is delighted that all negotiations had proved successful and they finally are back on the calendar after so long.
The biggest buzz for Mexicans ever since a possibility of the race negotiation was announced in September 2013 is that two racers from the current pool of drivers are Mexican nationals. The two Mexican drivers who currently compete in F1 racing are Force India’s Sergio Perez and Sauber’s Esteban Gutierrez; both very promising and young talents in the F1 industry. For Mexicans to be able to see them live on their home tarmac is nothing short of a moment of pride for their country.
Sergio Perez has said that he wants to make his nation proud when Formula 1 returns to Mexico this season. The 24 year old Force India driver said he is eagerly looking forward to racing in front of his home fans at the ‘Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez’. ‘It is going to be a massive moment personally for me and I can’t help but smile when I think of racing at home’ said Perez during Force India’s 2015 new VJM08 car launch.
Sauber’s Esteban Gutierrez describes the return of Mexico to the Formula One calendar for the first time in more than two decades as ‘greatest news in his career so far’. ‘It is a dream come true for many of us. A Mexican race would be the most fantastic experience to race in front of my people. Mexico has had a long F1 history, so the fascination and zeal for F1 is still in their genes. I had the chance to race in Mexico City once, back in 2008, when I took part in the World Finals of Formula BMW, and it was a great and exciting experience!’ said the 23-year-old from the city of Monterrey.
Few Highlights Of The Mexico Circuit:
| Race Date: | 01 Nov 2015 |
| Circuit Name: | ‘Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez’ |
| First Grand Prix: | 1986 |
| Number of Laps: | To be declared |
| Circuit Length: | |
| Lap Record: | 1:16.788 – Nigel Mansell (1991) |
If you are a true Formula 1 fan; chalk out your calendar right now to not miss this historic event when it happens… LIVE! The 2015 season starts in Australia on 15 March and
