Mexican GP Preview
It's back to back races as we travel from Austin to Mexico City
This is the 19th world championship Mexican Grand Prix.
Several milestones have been reached at the Mexican Grand Prix: Ayrton Senna started his 100th GP here in 1990; Fernando Alonso celebrated his 250th race at the Autodromo in 2015.
McLaren has won the Mexican Grand Prix three times, in 1969, ’88 and ’89.
Viewing Essentials
| Where | Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez |
| When | 26 - 28 October 2018 |
| Start time | 13:10hrs local/19:10 GMT/20:10 CET |
| How many laps | 71 |
| Tyre choice | Red Supersoft, purple Ultrasoft, pink Hypersoft (third time this combination has been used in 2018) |
Hear from the team
Fernando Alonso, Stoffel Vandoorne and Sporting Director Gil de Ferran look forward to this weekend, as well as discussing the unique challenges faced at the circuit.
Fernando Alonso, McLaren Driver
“I’m looking forward to being in Mexico in a few days. Fans always welcome us in such a warm and enthusiast way, and once again we’ll be visiting around the ‘day of the dead’ time, when the whole city seems to be celebrating.
“The atmosphere at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is also unique, especially in the Stadium section, where the view is overwhelming and you get so close to the fans that you can even hear them roaring when you drive through.
“I want to put the disappointing race in Austin behind me as quickly as possible, so I can’t wait to be in the car again in three days.”
Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren Driver
“The track in Mexico is very special because of the altitude. We all run maximum downforce, but because of the altitude it actually makes it lower than Monza. That makes the cars very tricky to drive. We will also return to the Hypersoft tyre this year, so it’ll be interesting to see how that behaves.
“The Stadium section is amazing – I remember the fans last year were going crazy there. It was a packed race and they were cheering for everyone as they drove through, which made for a great atmosphere.
“Mexico City is a cool place. Everyone is really friendly and the food is great too. I’m looking forward to a fun weekend and hopefully some positive results on track.”
Mexican Grand Prix Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez
Gil de Ferran, Sporting Director
“From one great grand prix venue to another, we go to Mexico on the back of a busy week in Austin. Back-to-back races are never easy, particularly for the crew when we have to repair a lot of damage.
“The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is somewhat unique in many ways, not least because of the high altitude and one of the longest straights on the calendar, which present several challenges for the engineers both on the engine side and the chassis. In the past, this layout has provided exciting races with lots of overtaking, and I expect this year’s Mexican Grand Prix to be no different.
“Lando will once again be in the car in FP1 on Friday morning, and will gain valuable experience of another new track.
“We go into the weekend with the same mindset as ever, undeterred by our most recent results and with a sharp focus on maximising our potential, which is all can influence.”
