Mexican Grand Prix Track: All About the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez

The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez has played host to every edition of the Mexican Grand Prix in Formula 1. Find out about the track and race’s history, details about the circuit, and what hospitality options are available with Seat Unique.

The Mexican Grand Prix is one of the oldest Grands Prix still on the Formula 1 calendar, albeit not continuously. With the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez possessing some very unique features, the circuit is beloved by drivers and fans alike.

With the 2022 edition of the race approaching, we are here to tell you how to secure hospitality tickets and give you all the information you need to know about the track and the race itself.

Here is everything you need to know about the Mexican Grand Prix and the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

Mexican Grand Prix hospitality

At Seat Unique, we are delighted to be able to offer you with the top tier Formula 1 hospitality package to this year's Mexican Grand Prix at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

And what we have available is perfect for any Red Bull fans. The House of Red Bull package will fully immerse you in the world of Formula 1 and give you the opportunity to see first-hand how the team works during the weekend.

The other benefits you get from this package includes:

• See the RB18 up close
• Exquisite high end cuisine served throughout the day
• Open bar (stocked with plenty of Red Bull!)
• Watch the action from our exclusive viewing platform at Turn 1
• Exclusive access to Red Bull simulators on site

Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez history

Circuit name, location & history

The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez was opened in 1959 and is located within the public park of Magdalena Mixhuca Sports City, southeast of the capital of the country, Mexico City.

The original name for the circuit was the Autodromo Magdalena Mixhuca, but was renamed to its current title shortly after the track opened as a commemoration to two Mexican brothers who drove in Formula 1.

Ricardo and Pedro Rodriguez raced in F1 in the 1960s, with Pedro going into the early 70s.

Ricardo’s Formula 1 career was tragically cut far too short at just six races down at the age of only 20, after he suffered a fatal crash during an unofficial practice session for the 1962 Mexican Grand Prix.

It was a race that wasn't part of the official F1 calendar. As such, Ferrari, the team he was driving for, opted not to partake in the weekend, so Ricardo took a drive from another team in order to race in front of his home crowd.

He held many records for being the youngest driver to achieve multiple feats, such as youngest driver to start a Formula 1 Grand Prix (held until 1980) and youngest driver to drive for Ferrari, a record he still holds to this day.

His brother, Pedro, lasted longer in Formula 1 and even achieved two victories and seven podiums. He also raced and found success in endurance racing, winning the 24 hours of Le Mans once.

Despite his success, he too lost his life during an Interserie sports car race, when his Ferrari 512M crashed into a wall and caught fire.

Both deaths were mourned by all of Mexico - Pedro was seen as one of the most underrated drivers in F1 history and one of the best of his generation in wet conditions, while Ricardo showed a lot of promise and many tipped him to be a future World Champion.

After Pedro’s passing, the circuit was renamed to the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, which (roughly) translated from Spanish is the Autodrome Brothers Rodriguez.

Circuit layout & features

The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit has stayed largely the same since it was first opened, although parts of the track have been redesigned over the years.

Originally, the final corner, named ‘Peraltada’, used to be an extremely fast-paced right-hander that goes into the long start/finish straight. It was based upon Monza’s ‘Parabolica’. However, it differs from the Italian design as it is slightly banked, which allows for even more speed.

In today’s version of the track, the cars now make a right turn just before the start of the corner and into the baseball field portion of the track.

This isn’t just some weird name for a section, either. The stadium, named “Foro Sol”, is a portion of the track that is a baseball stadium that has been converted into a complex consisting of four corners. It is essentially a coliseum, with the cars entering into the bowl surrounded by grandstands filled with fans.

The exit puts the cars half-way through the Peraltada corner and down to the start/ finish straight.

The section of the first three corners was also changed, essentially being inverted. What is now a chicane complex was once a dangerously quick, sweeping section. It was changed to accommodate the ever-quickening cars.

During the original turbo era of Formula 1, the drivers going down the 1.2km start/ finish straight would clock speeds of 205mph (330 km/h). But with the current V6 turbocharged hybrid cars, they are getting up to speeds of 230mph (370 km/h).

Mexican Grand Prix history

The Mexican Grand Prix was first held in 1963 - technically, the first race was in 1962 but this was not part of the Formula 1 World Championship.

Its first run on the calendar was from 1963 to 1970. After the race in the 1970 season, the GP disappeared due in part to the lack of crowd control in that year’s edition as well as the race in 1968.

After multiple attempts to bring it back, the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez returned in 1986 after work had been done to improve safety and organisation.

However, the track remained very rough and bumpy, which was evident from Ayrton Senna’s heavy crash during free practice for the 1991 race - Senna had also criticised the track all weekend long.

Demands were made to improve track conditions for the 1992 edition, but despite them being made, the track once again disappeared after the ‘92 race due to worsening track conditions and the declining state of Mexico City itself.

Rumours of its return to the calendar started to arise as early as 2003, but it wasn’t until 2013 that officials came out to state intentions to return to the track.

After further updates were made to bring the circuit up to current F1 standards, the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez returned to the calendar in 2014.

Aside from its cancellation in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mexican Grand Prix has featured ever since its return.

2022 Mexico Grand Prix

The 2022 edition of the Mexican Grand Prix could see a fairly straight-forward affair. Max Verstappen has a very sizable lead in the championship - in fact, he probably will even have the title wrapped up by this point.

Due to the altitude of the race being 2,240m (7,340 ft) above sea level, the Red Bulls, who are better suited than the other manufacturers to higher altitudes, have often found a lot of success here.

Verstappen won last year, and odds are in his favour to win it again.  He had strong help from his teammate, local hero, Sergio Perez. Maybe Perez could find himself on the top step this year - if Max allows it!

The Mexican Grand Prix will begin on Friday, 28th October, with the race as usual being on Sunday, 30th October.

Seat Unique is opening fan access to premium Formula 1 hospitality packages for every single race of the Formula 1 calendar, including the races remaining for the 2022 season as well as the 2023 season. Be sure to secure your place in the action!