Formula 1 signs deal to keep racing in Mexico City until 2028

Amid swirling rumors that Mexican operator Sergio “Checo” Pérez volition instrumentality to Formula 1 with the caller Cadillac team, Mexican motorsport fans person been electrified by the quality that the Mexico City Grand Prix volition stay connected the F1 calendar done 2028.

With the existent declaration successful its last year, a caller three-year hold was confirmed Wednesday by Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada, Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and different officials.

It ensures the 66-year-old Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez volition proceed to big 1 of the sport’s astir vibrant and best-attended races, which drew 154,142 fans for past year’s last successful which Perez finished dormant past among 17 cars.

In hailing the committedness betwixt Formula 1 and Mexico City’s government, Brugada emphasized that the lawsuit volition persist without spending payer money, relying alternatively connected backstage and concern assemblage support.

Since its instrumentality successful 2015, the Mexico City Grand Prix has go a marquee event, drafting grounds crowds — 405,000 attended implicit 3 days successful 2024 — and adding importantly to the city’s system and profile.

“This not lone contributes to the economical improvement of Mexico City, but besides promotes our city, arsenic good arsenic our country, successful a important mode worldwide,” Alejandro Soberón, president and wide manager of Grupo CIE, an amusement and media institution headquartered successful Mexico City, said successful an F1 quality report.

Over 150,000 fans packed Mexico City’s Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez for past year’s final. (Formula One/X)

Domenicali echoed the sentiment, calling the lawsuit “one of the astir unthinkable and energetic experiences of our championship.”

Brugada, meanwhile, successful a punctuation successful the sports quality outlet Marca, hinted astatine adjacent much affirmative quality for fans. “At the opening of adjacent year, we volition beryllium giving you amended quality astir the continuation of this fantastic lawsuit for galore years successful Mexico City,” she said.

The Mexico City Grand Prix became a Formula 1 main lawsuit successful 1963 but was dropped successful 1970 owed mostly to the inability to power monolithic crowds, making things unsafe for drivers.

It returned successful 1986 astatine a redesigned racetrack, won by Gerhard Berger driving a Benetton-BMW, and stayed connected the calendar until 1992, erstwhile it was dropped owed to an inability to modernize the circuit and issues with pollution.

After 23 years, Formula 1 returned to Mexico City aft the way underwent important upgrades to conscionable modern standards, with Nico Rosberg winning that 2015 contention for Mercedes.

Last year’s 305-kilometer contention was won by Carlos Sainz for Ferrari.

Ferrari operator Carlos Sainz of Spain (right) won the 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix. (Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool)

This year’s Mexico City Grand Prix volition instrumentality spot from Oct. 24–26 and the acquisition will, for the archetypal time, see the F1 Garage, a premium hospitality and nutrient country backed by personage cook Gordon Ramsay.

Meanwhile, “Checo” Pérez’s adjacent determination remains a blistery topic. The victor of six Formula 1 races, who successful December parted ways with Red Bull Racing (a two-man squad led by four-time F1 play champion Max Verstappen) aft back-to-back mediocre seasons, is successful talks with Cadillac, but different teams mightiness privation the seasoned driver.

Cadillac, acceptable to articulation the F1 grid arsenic a constructor for the archetypal clip successful 2026, sees Pérez’s 281 starts successful F1 and his acquisition implicit a 14-year vocation arsenic captious assets for a novice team.

Although his signature with F1’s soon-to-be 11th squad isn’t certain, Cadillac officials are successful Florida up of this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix. They are gearing up for the team’s archetypal authoritative nationalist announcement — but whether it includes immoderate “Checo” quality is anyone’s guess.

With reports from Marca, Autosport and Milenio