It hasn’t always featured on the F1 calendar, but Mexico City is a classic F1 track.
It was 1959 when the father of Mexico’s most famous racing brothers, Ricardo and Pedro Rodriguez, used his position as an advisor to Mexican President Adolfo Lopez Mateo, and suggested building a racing circuit in Mexico City’s Magdalena Mixiuhca sports park using existing roads.
Within a year the track was built and by 1963, the legendary figure of Jim Clark was winning the first grand prix at the venue.
An absence of 22 years came to an end in 2015, when the race returned to the schedule.
It’s high altitude — more than 2km above sea level — and the revised section that now runs through the old Foro Sol baseball stadium provides one of the most iconic backdrops in the entire year.
Key facts include:
- Circuit length: 4.304 km (2.674 miles)
- Number of laps: 71
- Race distance: 305.354 km (189.738 miles)
- Lap record: 1:17.774 (Valtteri Bottas, 2021)
- First GP: 1963
There’s loads more on the track to read up on through Madeline Coleman’s circuit breakdown — which you can enjoy at the link below.
GO FURTHER
Mexico City GP circuit breakdown: F1’s highest altitude affects everything
