Mexico City Grand Prix extends Formula One contract until 2028
The Mexican event has featured on the F1 calendar for three distinct periods through the championship's 75-year history, with its current run starting back in 2015.
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The race's current deal with F1 promoter Formula One Management (FOM) had been set to conclude at the end of 2025, after the race was granted two separate three-year extensions following the conclusion of its original five-race contract in 2019. This includes running through the 2020 season most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, when Mexico did not host a race.
'We are very excited to announce that the Mexico GP will be held for three more years,' said Alejandro Soberón Kuri, CIE president and CEO, in a statement. '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 (CEO) from Formula 1, who have made it possible to continue bringing Formula 1 to our country.'
The Mexican Grand Prix first appeared on the F1 calendar back in 1963, with the Magdalena Mixhuca track hosting seven races in the following years. The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez then held seven more F1 world championship races between 1986 and 1992.
The track's current run of races coincided with the rise of Sergio Perez —statistically Mexico's most successful F1 driver. He scored six race wins and 33 other podium finishes after commencing his F1 career with Sauber back in 2011. He most recently raced for the Red Bull team alongside world champion Max Verstappen, but was dropped from the squad at 2024's end.
This led to concern amongst CIE officials about the race's chances of retaining its slot, but several factors have combined in its favor around the new deal.
First, the Mexico City Grand Prix, as the event has been known since 2021, has been consistently popular with fans — with 404,958 people attending the most recent event over three days in October 2024. This figure includes 154,124 people attending race day alone. Then Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz dominated that day, where Perez produced a very poor showing that included a jump start penalty, a clash with the driver that briefly replaced him at Red Bull — New Zealander Liam Lawson — and getting lapped by the winner.
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The race has also won awards from within the F1 community, with FOM handing it the 'Best Promoter' award at the FIA Prize Giving ceremonies five years in a row between 2015 and 2019.
Perez has also been linked with a fast return to F1 racing action, if he can do a new deal with the Cadillac team that will enter the championship in 2026. But even if Perez is unsuccessful, in recent years CIE has been implementing a ticket sales strategy aimed at ensuring the race would remain popular even without a home driver to support – boosted by the current run of close racing between multiple teams generating an exciting on-track spectacle, as well as ongoing new fan interest generated by the 'Drive to Survive' Netflix series.
'We are very excited to announce that the Mexico City Grand Prix will continue to be part of our calendar through the 2028 season,' said Domenicali in a statement. '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.'
Verstappen is the most successful F1 driver in the Mexican F1 race, with five wins scored between 2017 and 2023. The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez track is situated in south-east Mexico City and is named after racing driver brothers Ricardo Rodríguez and Pedro Rodríguez. The latter is Mexico's second most successful F1 driver, with two world championship victories before his death in a sports car race in 1971.
(Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
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Indianapolis Star
5 hours ago
- Indianapolis Star
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