The Formula 1 paddock travels to the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez this weekend for Round 20 on the 2025 calendar, the Mexico City Grand Prix.
Free Practice 1 and Free Practice 2 will take place on Friday, October 24, followed by Free Practice 3 and Qualifying on Saturday, October 25, and the Grand Prix itself on Sunday, October 26.
Vital statistics
- First Grand Prix – 1963
- Track Length – 4.304km
- Lap record – 1m 17.774s, Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes, 2021
- Most pole positions – Jim Clark (4)
- Most wins – Max Verstappen (5)
- Trivia – The 20% air pressure reduction at 7,200ft AMSL (above mean sea level) means Mexico has taken over from Italy as the race with the highest top speeds. In the 2016 race, Valtteri Bottas set the fastest ever trap speed in F1 history (231.46mph) but Williams telemetry said his maximum speed reached 231.96mph before braking for Turn 1
- Pole run to Turn 1 braking point – 830m
- Overtakes completed in 2024 – 91
- Safety Car probability – 43%*
- Virtual Safety Car probability – 71%*
- Pit stop time loss – 21.9 seconds
*From the last seven races in Mexico
The driver’s verdict
Jolyon Palmer, former Renault F1 driver: The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez has a low downforce effect but, here in Mexico City, you run to the maximum due to the thin air. The car always feels low on grip and on the edge around here.
The big braking zones are tricky in the first half of the lap and it is always loose through the middle sector thanks to the aforementioned low downforce. You’ve got to work out how much kerb you can take early on; take too much and it can really unsettle the car.
The last sector is fiddly and it feels ridiculously slow through the stadium. The penultimate right-hander feels like it might be nothing, but it is arguably the easiest to crash on with low grip and the wall so close.
Grip level overall is very low and the car feels so clumsy at such a low speed. But the atmosphere around here in Mexico is great, which is such a buzz.
Last five Mexican GP polesitters
- 2024 – Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
- 2023 – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- 2022 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- 2021 – Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
- 2019 – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)*
*Max Verstappen set the fastest time in Qualifying, but received a three-place grid penalty for failing to slow for yellow flags
Last five Mexican GP winners
- 2024 – Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)
- 2023 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- 2022 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- 2021 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- 2019 – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
Tyre and strategy insight
“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,” reads Pirelli’s weekend preview.
“While the medium and soft are the C4 and C5 respectively, as in 2024, the hard will now be 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 race lap, but now the scenario could change considerably. The advantage to be had from the C4 and C5 could in fact lead the teams to aim for a race run predominantly on these compounds.
“However, that comes with the risk of possibly having to make a second pit stop because of degradation. Anyone choosing the C2 could relatively comfortably manage a longer stint, going for a one-stop on the way to the chequered flag, although it entails a reduction in performance.
“The use of the two softest compounds will certainly be carefully evaluated during the three free practice sessions, when teams will be able to run long stints with full fuel loads and check the condition of the tyres. Historically, graining levels in Mexico are quite pronounced, since the thin air at altitude reduces the amount of aerodynamic downforce that the cars can produce.
“On a track that already offers little grip due to its limited use, the tyres tend to slide, which leads to graining. It will also be interesting to see whether the greater resistance to this phenomenon offered by the current compounds will help limit it and therefore benefit those who are masters of tyre management.”
Current form
The battle for the Drivers’ Championship took another turn last time out in Austin, with Oscar Piastri’s lead over McLaren team mate Lando Norris now cut to just 14 points after a challenging weekend for the squad in which they suffered a double DNF in Saturday’s Sprint.
But perhaps the headline story was that Max Verstappen is now only 40 points adrift of Piastri, the Red Bull driver having continued his strong run of form by winning the Sprint before taking a commanding victory in the Grand Prix.
With five rounds remaining – featuring two more Sprints along the way – Verstappen has declared that the “chance is there” to claim a fifth consecutive World Championship, adding that he and the team “need to try to deliver these weekends to the end of the year”.
McLaren boss Andrea Stella, meanwhile, has stated that the outcome of the title “is in our hands”, meaning that the Teams’ Champions will be keen to execute a good weekend in Mexico City.
Behind them, Mercedes and Ferrari remain locked in a fight for second in the Teams’ standings. The Scuderia will be looking to build on the more positive outing they experienced in Austin, with Charles Leclerc claiming the final spot on the podium, while Red Bull are also only a few points behind the Italian team in fourth place.
Williams are still in a solid fifth, but the midfield scrap remains close. Racing Bulls currently lead the pack, yet only 23 points cover the teams between sixth and ninth. Alpine are a slightly more distant 10th, and it will be interesting to see how the squad handle things after Franco Colapinto ignored a team order to stay behind Pierre Gasly in the United States Grand Prix.
Iconic moment
The opening lap at the 2017 Mexican Grand Prix was eventful to say the least. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel had managed to grab pole ahead of the Red Bull of Max Verstappen in P2 and title rival Lewis Hamilton in P3.
But as soon as the lights went out it was a young Verstappen who managed to force himself past Vettel at the second corner, allowing Hamilton himself to overtake the German. However, on the entry to the third corner Vettel clipped Verstappen’s right rear tyre, and also subsequently came together with Hamilton’s right rear.
Vettel would end up pitting for a new wing following that incident, while Hamilton would limp back with a puncture – the two championship contenders now left in 19th and 20th respectively.
With Verstappen going on to seal the win, Vettel would battle back to fourth. However, Hamilton managed to haul his Mercedes up to ninth place and that was enough to secure the 2017 Drivers’ title.
Watch the action as it unfolded in the clip below…
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