Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez

Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez


The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez Grand Prix circuit (2015–2019, 2021–present)

The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez Formula E circuit (2023)
LocationMexico City, Mexico
Time zoneUTC−6 / UTC−5 (DST)
Coordinates19°24′22″N 99°5′33″W / 19.40611°N 99.09250°W / 19.40611; -99.09250
Capacity110,000
FIA Grade1 (GP)
3E (Formula E)
Broke ground1959
Opened20 November 1959; 64 years ago (1959-11-20)
Former namesAutódromo Magdalena Mixhuca (1959–1979)
Major eventsCurrent:
Formula One
Mexican Grand Prix
(1962–1970, 1986–1992, 2015–2019)
Mexico City Grand Prix
(2021–present)
FIA Formula E Championship
Mexico City ePrix
(2016–2020, 2022–present)
NASCAR Mexico Series
(2004–2019, 2022–present)
Former:
FIA WEC
6 Hours of Mexico (1989–1991, 2016–2017)
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Corona México 200 (2005–2008)
Race of Champions (2019)
Trans-Am Series (1978–1979, 1991)
CART/Champ Car World Series
Gran Premio Tecate
(1980–1981, 2002–2007)
Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series
Mexico City 400k (2005–2008)
A1 Grand Prix (2007–2008)
IMSA GT Championship (1974)
USRRC (1968)
Websitehttp://ahr.notiauto.com
Grand Prix Circuit (2015–present)
Length4.304 km (2.674 miles)
Turns17
Race lap record1:17.774 (Finland Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes W12, 2021, F1)
Formula E Circuit (2023–present)
Length2.628 km (1.633 miles)
Turns19
Race lap record1:14.195 (United Kingdom Jake Dennis, Porsche 99X Electric, 2023, Formula E)
Oval Circuit (1962–present)
SurfaceAsphalt
Length1.609 km (1.000 miles)
Turns4
Race lap record0:32.081 (Mexico Antonio Pérez, Toyota Camry NASCAR, 2015, Stock car racing)
Formula E Circuit (2020–2022)
Length2.606 km (1.619 miles)
Turns16
Race lap record1:09.487 (Brazil Lucas di Grassi, Mercedes-EQ Silver Arrow 02, 2022, Formula E)
Original Formula E Circuit (2016–2019)
Length2.093 km (1.300 miles)
Turns17
Race lap record1:01.112 (Germany Pascal Wehrlein, Mahindra M5Electro, 2019, Formula E)
Grand Prix Circuit (1986–2014)
SurfaceAsphalt
Length4.421 km (2.747 miles)
Turns14
Race lap record1:16.788 (United Kingdom Nigel Mansell, Williams FW14, 1991, F1)
Champ Car/A1GP Grand Prix Circuit (2006–2007)
SurfaceAsphalt
Length4.463 km (2.774 miles)
Turns17
Race lap record1:24.713 (Netherlands Robert Doornbos, Panoz DP01, 2007, Champ Car)
NASCAR Circuit (2005–2014)
SurfaceAsphalt
Length4.053 km (2.518 miles)
Turns16
Race lap record1:20.521 (United States Alex Gurney, Riley Mk XX, 2008, DP)
CART/Champ Car Grand Prix Circuit (2002–2005)
SurfaceAsphalt
Length4.484 km (2.786 miles)
Turns17
Race lap record1:27.248 (Japan Shinji Nakano, Lola B02/00, 2002, CART)
Original Grand Prix Circuit (1959–1985)
SurfaceAsphalt
Length5.000 km (3.107 miles)
Turns14
Race lap record1:43.050 (Belgium Jacky Ickx, Brabham BT26A, 1969, F1)
Original Short Circuit (1959–1985)
SurfaceAsphalt
Length3.991 km (2.480 miles)
Turns10
Race lap record1:17.631 (United States Norm Hunter, Ralt RT4, 1982, Formula Atlantic)

The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is a 4.304 km (2.674 mi) motorsport race track in Mexico City, Mexico, named after the racing drivers Ricardo (1942–1962) and Pedro Rodríguez (1940–1971). The circuit got its name shortly after it opened when Ricardo Rodríguez died in practice for the non-Championship 1962 Mexican Grand Prix. Ricardo's brother Pedro was also killed behind the wheel nine years later. Since 2015, the track has once again hosted the Formula One Mexican Grand Prix, an event it previously hosted in two separate periods on a different layout, the last occasion of which was in 1992.

The circuit is located within the public park of the Magdalena Mixhuca Sports City in southeast Mexico City. The circuit is owned by the Government of the City, but is currently operated under concession by Corporación Interamericana de Entretenimiento (CIE) through OCESA, one of CIE's subsidiaries. CIE also organizes the NASCAR and Desafío Corona races in this circuit and rents the circuits to other parties, including race organizers, automobile clubs and track amateurs for fees that are controversial due to their disproportionately high amounts compared to other ex-F1 courses.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series started racing at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in the 2005 season and ended in the 2008 season. Martin Truex Jr. won the race in 2005, and Denny Hamlin won in 2006. For the 2007 race, the chicane was removed to increase passing opportunities down the front straight and into turn 1, and Juan Pablo Montoya from Bogotá, Colombia, won the race. Kyle Busch was the winner of the race in 2008.

The A1 Grand Prix series started racing at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in the 2006–07 season using the full-track configuration used by Formula One. Alex Yoong from Malaysia won the sprint race and Oliver Jarvis from the United Kingdom won the feature race. In the 2007–08 season, Jonny Reid from New Zealand won the sprint race and Adam Carroll of Team Ireland won the feature race.

History

Aerial view of the circuit, November 1962.

Built in the Magdalena Mixhuca public park in 1959, the circuit hosted its first Formula One Grand Prix in 1962, as a non-Championship race. The following year the Mexican Grand Prix became a full World Championship event. The circuit remained part of the F1 calendar through 1970, when spectator overcrowding caused unsafe conditions. When F1 returned in 1986, the circuit boasted a new pit complex, as well as improved safety all around, but left again after 1992 due to safety concerns.

In 2001 CIE and Forsythe Racing tasked D3 Motorsport Development with revamping the circuit. A redesign to include the Foro and a complete upgrade of the circuit was done. It saw a record crowd of 402,413 people attend a round of the CART Championship in 2002.

It was announced in May 2012, that the circuit would again host the Mexican Grand Prix from 2013, in a five-year deal that would see it replace the European Grand Prix in Valencia, but this did not happen. The FIA listed the Mexican Grand Prix as the 19th round of the provisional schedule for the 2014 season, but it was not on the final schedule. The Mexican Grand Prix was listed on the 2015 Formula One calendar published by the FIA on 3 December 2014, with Formula One making its return to the circuit with the race on 1 November 2015.

The racetrack is also home to Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC Mexico), a music festival attended by over 200,000 people.

The Grand Prix circuit

Satellite view of the circuit, as it appeared in 2018
Grand-Am Rolex Series taking a bypass from turn 4 to turn 8

Designed as his thesis by student Óscar Fernández in 1953, the circuit has an elevation of 2,238 m (7,342 ft); the thin air causes difficulties for both the drivers and their cars.[citation needed] It also reduces the levels of aerodynamic drag that cars experience, meaning that higher downforce setups can be used with less impact on straight-line speed.

The circuit has an extremely fast final corner (the Peraltada, turn 17) before a long start/finish straight, and thus reminded some of Monza; however, unlike Monza's Parabolica curve, the Peraltada curve is slightly banked, allowing even more speed through the corner. It was at this corner that the younger Rodríguez crashed, due to suspension failure. After the last F1 Mexican Grand Prix in 1992, a baseball stadium called the "Foro" was built on the inner part of this curve. When the Champ Car series began using the track in 2002, the Peraltada curve was partially bypassed by a series of sharp turns entering and exiting the Foro; re-entering the Peraltada halfway through.

After the Peraltada comes the long 1.2 km front straight. During the original turbo era in Formula One the faster cars were regularly clocking speeds of up to 330 km/h (205 mph) on the straight.

In the 2005 NASCAR Busch Series season, there was a chicane on the main straightaway to slow the cars down. They also introduced a curve between the short course and the Ese del Lago to bypass the latter, but avoiding the stadium detour.

The Grand Prix circuit underwent a significant renovation under the direction of Hermann Tilke for the return of Formula One in 2015. The front straight was slightly extended and reprofiled to accommodate a new media center and paddock. The iconic esses between turns 7 and 13 were significantly modified; the prolific, high radius turns largely diminished and some replaced with fixed angle turns. The baseball field portion of the track was also altered to a low-speed left-right combination that bypassed the first half of the Peraltada, allowing the cars to re-enter the Peraltada halfway through the corner. At 4.304 kilometres (2.674 mi), the course is 170 metres (560 ft) shorter than the previous Grand Prix layout, and Mexican Grand Prix organizers predicted lap times of around 75 seconds and speeds in excess of 328 km/h (204 mph) for the current turbocharged Formula One cars, which eliminate the adverse effects of altitude present in naturally aspirated cars. However, the modern V6 hybrid turbo Formula One cars actually managed to reach top speeds in excess of 370 km/h (230 mph) down the main straight.

The maximum speed recorded in a 2023 Formula One car was 361.9 km/h (224.9 mph), established at the end of the start/finish straight.

Layout history

Oval track

The circuit also features an oval layout due to the inclusion of a flat turn that goes from the middle of the main straight to the beginning of the backstretch of circuit. Unlike the road course, the oval is raced in counter-clockwise direction (except for the Formula E race).

The oval configuration of this Mexico City facility is arguably the most dangerous racetrack in Mexico, because of the limited visibility at the exit of turns 2 and 4. This is because the Foro Sol baseball stadium is located inside turns 1 and 2; and several trees are located inside turns 3 and 4.

During the 2006 season, two accidents occurred in the oval track during NASCAR Mexico T4 Series events, which took several drivers out of the race, with some needing hospital treatment.

The oval configuration is used at least twice a year, with two double-feature events featuring the NASCAR Toyota Series and the NASCAR Mexico T4 Series.

The oval configuration also forms the base of the FIA Formula E Championship circuit for the Mexico City ePrix; the oval is raced clockwise, but there is a chicane prior to the entrance of turn 4, with a second chicane on the backstretch, followed by a modified Foro Sol section that exits for the full Peraltada, and a third chicane midway through the Peraltada (turns 1 and 2 of the oval). FIA Formula E track design was modified by Agustin Delicado Zomeño. Starting from season 3 (2016–2017), the first chicane is removed and now it is a right-hand corner.

In season 6, the track is extended and the two chicanes at the back straight and the Peraltada are removed. The track also uses more of the Formula 1 layout. After turn 2 (Formula E track), the track will turn left instead of right and the extended part includes a 4-turn sequence before going back to the original circuit and the stadium section.

Renamed turns

Before the 1986 Formula One race, the first turn (now turns 1-3) was named in honour of Moisés Solana, Mexico's third F1 driver. It is still called Ese Moisés Solana, often referred to as the "Solana Complex" in English.

In September 2002, Mexico's fourth and, then most recent, F1 driver Héctor Rebaque's achievements both in F1 and CART were recognized by renaming turn 6 of the Autodromo as Recorte Rebaque instead of the previous name of Recorte de Gran Premio.

In 2015, turn 17 was named in honour of Nigel Mansell, twice winner of the Mexican Grand Prix in 1987 and 1992 and the scene of his daring pass around the outside of Gerhard Berger in 1990.

On September 20, 2016 Adrián Fernández's achievements have been recognized by the naming of turn 12 of the Autodromo in his honour.

Events

Current
Former

Lap records

The official lap record for the current circuit layout is 1:17.774, set by Valtteri Bottas driving for Mercedes in the 2021 Mexico City Grand Prix, while the unofficial all-time track record is 1:14.758, set by Max Verstappen driving for Red Bull Racing in the qualifying of the 2019 Mexican Grand Prix. As of April 2023, the fastest official race lap records at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez are listed as:

Category Time Driver Vehicle Event
Grand Prix Circuit with Foro Sol: 4.304 km (2015–present)
Formula One 1:17.774 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes-AMG W12 E Performance 2021 Mexico City Grand Prix
LMP1 1:25.730 Brendon Hartley Porsche 919 Hybrid 2017 6 Hours of Mexico
Formula V8 1:32.144 Matevos Isaakyan Dallara T12 2017 Mexico City Formula V8 round
LMP2 1:33.670 Bruno Senna Oreca 07 2017 6 Hours of Mexico
LM GTE 1:40.212 Sam Bird Ferrari 488 GTE 2017 6 Hours of Mexico
Porsche Carrera Cup 1:43.593 Thomas Preining Porsche 911 (991 II) GT3 Cup 2018 2nd Mexico City Porsche Supercup round
Formula 4 1:46.087 Moisés de la Vara Mygale M14-F4 2017 2nd Mexico City NACAM F4 round
Formula E Circuit: 2.628 km (2023–present)
Formula E 1:14.195 Jake Dennis Porsche 99X Electric 2023 Mexico City ePrix
Formula E Circuit: 2.606 km (2020–2022)
Formula E 1:09.487 Lucas di Grassi Mercedes-EQ Silver Arrow 02 2022 Mexico City ePrix
Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy 1:25.045 Cacá Bueno Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy (racecar) 2020 Mexico City Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy round
Vintage Circuit: 2.844 km (2020–present)
Formula 4 1:18.538 Julio Rejón [es] Mygale M14-F4 2022 1st Mexico City NACAM F4 round
National Circuit with Foro Sol: 3.909 km (2015–present)
Formula 4 1:33.010 Axel Matus Mygale M14-F4 2016 1st Mexico City NACAM F4 round
Grand Prix Circuit without Foro Sol: 4.256 km (2015–present)
Formula 4 1:40.562 Pedro Juan Moreno Mygale M14-F4 2023 1st Mexico City NACAM F4 round
Oval Circuit with Foro Sol: 1.665 km (2015–present)
Stock car racing 0:44.395 Xavi Razo
José Luis Ramírez
Toyota Camry NASCAR
Ford Fusion NASCAR
2017 Gran Premio FedEx
Oval Circuit: 1.609 km (1959–present)
Stock car racing 0:32.081 Antonio Pérez Toyota Camry NASCAR 2015 Alcatel OneTouch 240
Fórmula Panam 0:41.510 Luis Alfonso Perez Tatuus FA010 2015 Mexico City Fórmula Panam round
Original Formula E Circuit: 2.093 km (2016–2019)
Formula E 1:01.112 Pascal Wehrlein Mahindra M5Electro 2019 Mexico City ePrix
Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy 1:15.516 Bryan Sellers Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy (racecar) 2019 Mexico City Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy round
Modified Grand Prix Circuit: 4.421 km (1986–2014)
Formula One 1:16.788 Nigel Mansell Williams FW14 1991 Mexican Grand Prix
Group C 1:21.611 Michael Schumacher Mercedes-Benz C291 1991 430 km of Mexico City
Formula Three 1:21.753 Javier Pelayo Reynard 933 1999 2nd Monterrey Mexican F3 round
Group C2 1:31.929 Chris Hodgetts Spice SE87C 1989 480 km of Mexico
National Circuit: 4.000 km (1986–2014)
Indy Lights 1:15.386 Oswaldo Negri Jr. Lola T96/20 2000 2nd Mexico City Fórmula de las Américas round
Formula 3000 1:16.005 Mario Domínguez Lola T96/70 1997 2nd Mexico City Mexican F3000 round
Formula Three 1:16.751 Waldemar Coronas Reynard 933 1997 1st Mexico City Mexican F3 round
Panam GP 1:18.287 Gerardo Nieto [es] Tatuus FA010 2012 Mexico City Panam GP round
NASCAR Circuit: 4.053 km (2005–2014)
Daytona Prototype 1:20.521 Alex Gurney Riley Mk XX 2008 Mexico City 250
Stock car racing 1:27.458 Scott Pruett Dodge Charger NASCAR 2007 Telcel-Motorola Mexico 200
A1GP Grand Prix Circuit (NASCAR Circuit with chicane): 4.084 km (2008)
A1GP 1:21.417 Oliver Jarvis Lola A1GP 2007–08 A1 Grand Prix of Nations, Mexico
Champ Car/A1GP Grand Prix Circuit (Modified Grand Prix Circuit with chicane): 4.463 km (2006–2007)
Champ Car 1:24.713 Robert Doornbos Panoz DP01 2007 Gran Premio Tecate
A1GP 1:27.534 Salvador Durán Lola A1GP 2006–07 A1 Grand Prix of Nations, Mexico
CART/Champ Car Grand Prix Circuit (Modified Grand Prix Circuit with Foro Sol): 4.484 km (2002–2005)
CART 1:27.248 Shinji Nakano Lola B02/00 2002 Gran Premio Telmex-Gigante
Champ Car 1:28.479 Justin Wilson Lola B02/00 2005 Gran Premio Telmex/Tecate
Daytona Prototype 1:45.331 Max Angelelli Riley Mk XI 2005 Mexico City 250
Formula Renault 2.0 1:48.798 Hugo Oliveras Tatuus FR2000 2004 Mexico City Formula Renault 2000 America round
Grand Touring 1:54.099 Bill Auberlen BMW M3 (E46) GTR 2005 Mexico City 250
Original Grand Prix Circuit: 5.000 km (1959–1985)
Formula One 1:43.050 Jacky Ickx Brabham BT26A 1969 Mexican Grand Prix
Group 4 1:48.910 Peter Revson Lola T70 1968 Mexico City USRRC round
Original Short Circuit: 3.991 km (1959–1985)
Formula Atlantic 1:17.631 Norm Hunter Ralt RT4 1982 Mexico City Formula Atlantic round

The baseball stadium

The Autódromo includes a baseball stadium inside turn 14 (Peraltada). The stadium, called Foro Sol, was home to the Diablos Rojos del México and also hosts music concerts. Some of the artists who played there include Iron Maiden, Paul McCartney, Britney Spears, Metallica, Pink Floyd, Santana, Lady Gaga, The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Taylor Swift, Stone Temple Pilots, Nine Inch Nails, Shakira, U2, Radiohead, and Guns N' Roses. The Diablos Rojos later left Foro Sol in order to build a new baseball stadium named Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú, which was later completed on 23 March, 2019. Unlike Foro Sol, it was built inside of the race track near turns 1 and 3.


This page was last updated at 2024-03-24 18:18 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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