Mexico City Grand Prix: Everything You Need to Know

The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez awaits as F1’s triple-header continues. Here’s your comprehensive guide to the 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix, packed with stats, trivia, and insights.

After Austin’s Sprint format, we’re back to a traditional weekend schedule. FP1 and FP2 kick off on Friday, October 25, with FP3 and qualifying on Saturday, October 26. The main event, the Grand Prix, takes place on Sunday, October 27.

Mexican GP Winner Odds

Driver	Odds
Max Verstappen	2.25
Lando Norris	3.25
Oscar Piastri	4.33
George Russell	15
Charles Leclerc	17
Lewis Hamilton	26
Kimi Antonelli	67
Fernando Alonso	201
Liam Lawson	401
Oliver Bearman	501
Alex Albon	501
Nico Hulkenberg	501
Carlos Sainz	501
Isack Hadjar	301

Fan Predictions

F1 Play gamers have tipped Lando Norris as the massive favorite to claim victory this weekend, earning 92.8% of votes. Max Verstappen is next best on 5%. Norris is also the favorite for pole position with 27.9% of selections.

The Driver’s Verdict

“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.”
— Jolyon Palmer, former Renault F1 driver

The big braking zones are tricky in the first half of the lap, and the car is always loose through the middle sector. The last sector is fiddly, and the penultimate right-hander feels like the easiest to crash on with low grip and the wall so close.

Last Five Pole-Sitters and Winners

Pole-Sitters:

• 2023 – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
• 2022 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
• 2021 – Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
• 2019 – Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
• 2018 – Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull)

Winners:

• 2023 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
• 2022 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
• 2021 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
• 2019 – Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
• 2018 – Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

Tyre and Strategy Insight

The Hermanos Rodriguez track is 4.304 km long, with 17 corners and a surface that is low in terms of its severity on tyres. This year, the promoter has resurfaced the section between Turns 12 and 15 in the third sector.

Mexico City is located at over 2,000 metres above sea level, and the rarified air has an influence on car performance, reducing the aerodynamic downforce generated by the cars. One of the consequences of this is that top speeds reached are very high.

In terms of strategy, this is usually a one-stop race. Last year, the majority of drivers tried to manage the medium to lengthen the first stint as much as possible.

Current Form

With five races remaining in the 2024 season, the battles for both championships are still very much alive. After failing to win a race since the Spanish Grand Prix in June, Max Verstappen took victory in the Sprint last time out in Austin, suggesting that Red Bull are back on form again.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc surged into P1 at the first corner and went on to lead a dominant one-two alongside team mate Carlos Sainz. This has brought the Scuderia even closer to the fight at the top of the teams’ table, having narrowed the gap to Red Bull to just eight points while McLaren are 48 points ahead.

Lando Norris will be hoping for a better outing at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. While his weekend in Austin was not a disaster, the Briton and his team were disappointed by the five-second penalty he received for leaving the track and gaining an advantage during his late-race scrap with Verstappen.

Mercedes had a tough few days at the United States Grand Prix, with Lewis Hamilton spinning out early on while George Russell put in a recovery drive to finish sixth following a pit lane start. The squad – now holding a lonely fourth in the constructors’ – are targeting more consistency with their up-and-down W15.

Iconic Moment

The opening lap at the 2017 Mexican Grand Prix was eventful. 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 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.

Elsewhere in Mexico City

There’s more activity taking place this weekend as part of the wider Sustainability Strategy that Formula 1 introduced in 2019, which includes the goal of being Net Zero by 2030, leaving a legacy of positive change and creating a more diverse sport that reflects the world in which we race.

The circuit is partnering with World Meeting Forum Foundation to support people with disabilities, providing working opportunities across the event, including in the Fanzone, guest services and hospitality areas. Sign language interpreters will be visible across the circuit to support fans who are hard of hearing.

To reduce single-use plastic at the Grand Prix, more than 800,000 aluminium cups will be used by vendors. Used cups will be collected, washed and recycled for reuse. In addition, there will be more than 70 water fountains across the circuit for fans to fill up from.

Continuing from the pilot project last year, over 30 dry toilets will also be available in the Blue Fan Zone, contributing to a reduction in water use across the weekend.

Thirteen students have been selected from local universities by the promoter for a unique internship. The students have been working in various departments over the last few months in the build-up to the event, including sustainability, ticketing and finance.