‘Why the Mexico City Is the Best Grand Prix on the F1 Calendar’

Having discovered F1 back in 2018, thanks to a friend who invited him to the grand prix, he immediately fell in love with the atmosphere.

“At that time I was living in Mexico City and the whole city switched to full-on F1 mode; lots of activities, drivers in adverts everywhere and happy people wearing all the merch,” he says.

Sergio, who now works as an editor in motorsport, says he watches other sports too but that ‘nothing compares with the feelings F1 makes you experience.’

Ain’t that the truth!

Love at first sight

When Sergio attended his first Mexican Grand Prix back in 2018, he only went for the Free Practice sessions and qualifying, as didn’t know much about the sport.

But that soon changed.

“When you arrive at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez circuit, it's impossible not to fall in love with F1”, he says.

“Watching the cars pass by at full speed in the chicane was hypnotising,” he recalls.

“Add to that the sound of the cars, plus the screaming of 150,000 people at the stadium and it gives you goosebumps.

“I’ve been to the grand prix three times now and every time is more exciting than the last one.”

Mexican Fans are ‘Like No Other’

Although lots of the fans trackside proudly support their home heroes, the crowds in Mexico are just as excitable and energetic about the racing and everyone else in the paddock.

“I think we Mexicans are really passionate about the things we enjoy,” says Sergio.

“We like ‘fiesta’ and having a good time! We value that F1 has been in our country the last 10 years, when there are a lot of other countries that would give everything to have a grand prix.

“We feel the need to show the world that we are very fortunate to have the pinnacle of motorsport in our land.”

A Party of Passion and Colour

When asked to describe the Mexico City Grand Prix, Sergio picked three words: Fiesta, colours and stadium.

“Fiesta just feels right to say, it's a three-day party for the country, or at least I feel it that way!” he says.

“There is also a term called “Mexican Maximalism”, and for me the Mexico City GP is just that. It’s an event full of colours, textures, pictures, catrinas, mariachi, tacos in a way only my country knows how to do.”

Talking of tacos, that is one of the first things Sergio says F1 fans visiting need to find.

“As soon as you land, get some real Mexican tacos, usually the better ones are on the streets, just search for very crowded food places and those usually are the best!” adds Sergio.

“Don't be afraid to travel the city either. When you arrive in the country you hear horror stories, but people usually are very nice!

“Travel in the subway, go to the “Zocalo” and walk in Reforma, the streets are a living museum.”

The ‘Fantastic’ Foro Sol

It would not be a review of the Mexico City Grand Prix without talking about the iconic stadium, now known as the Estadio GNP Seguros. It received a makeover last year, reopening under a different name but is still known to many as the ‘Foro Sol’.

“Being at the Foro Sol stadium is something else, something you can't experience in other circuits around the world,” explains Sergio.

“When the race starts you feel everything 10 times more powerful as you get more and more energy from the people around you, it's magical.”

Having watched from the stadium section, as well as Turns 3 and 4 another year, Sergio says the atmosphere when watching the cars swoop through Turns 13 to 16, as they approach the end of their laps, is unbeatable: “Nothing compares to the stadium and after the race there’s a ceremony with a DJ!”

Another spot that comes highly recommended is at Turns 4, 5 and 6.

“When you’re watching trackside, you can see them braking and battling side-to-side super close! If you find a good seat, you can watch the three turns from one spot.”

‘Arriving at the Circuit is Easy’

Being located in the heart of the country’s capital, Mexico City, makes getting to the track super convenient. Several of the gates are located on a main road, with transport links only a short walk away.

“The best way to get to the circuit is via the subway,” Sergio explains.

“A good thing is you can take it from a lot of stations around the city, it's easy to understand and it drops you literally at the gates of the Autodrómo.

“It makes arriving at the circuit easy and cheap. Taxis or Ubers can take hours to arrive and usually at events this big it can get very expensive.”

For fans visiting for the first time, Sergio also suggests arriving a few days before the race to get used to the altitude.

The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is 2,240m above sea level, making it the highest race track on our calendar and you can definitely feel the air is thinner. As well as the people, the cars are impacted by the lower oxygen levels too.

“Get to the city a couple days before the weekend so you can get used to the altitude because it hits hard,” Sergio adds.

“In the meantime, you can do some tourism in my favourite city. You won’t regret it - it has the best museums and views of the country!”