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Location | Mexico City, Mexico |
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Opened | 1962 |
Major Events | Formula A Mexican Grand Prix (1962 - 1970, 1986 - 1992, 2015 - present) Copa Mexicana Mexico City Grand Prix (1995 - present) World Stock Car Championship Grand Prix of Mexico (1986 - 1994) |
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Autodromo Mexico City is a multi-use racing venue located in Mexico City, Mexico. The track features both a Grand Prix circuit, which is used for the Formula A Mexican Grand Prix and an oval circuit (named for WSCC driver Ricardo Pérez) which is used for the World Stock Car Championship race, the Round of Mexico. The track has hosted the Round of Mexico at the Ricardo Pérez circuit since 2012.
The circuit is located within the public park of the Magdalena Mixhuca Sports City in southeast Mexico City. The oval configuration of the 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 3 and 4; there are also several trees lining the inside of turns 1 and 2. Additionally, there is virtually no runoff space in the corners, making track blockages likely to occur if a significant wreck happens. The oval configuration is notable for being the only oval circuit that is run clockwise by the WSCC.
History[edit | edit source]
The facility was built in what was then a public park in 1962. That same year, the circuit hosted its first Formula A Grand Prix, which was run as a non-Championship race. In 1963, the Mexican Grand Prix became a full World Championship event. The circuit remained part of the FA calendar until 1970, when it was removed due to spectator overcrowding causing unsafe conditions. When the track re-opened to Formula A in 1986, the circuit boasted a new pit complex, as well as improved safety all around. In 2001, a complete redesign of the circuit was unveiled, the first race which saw a record crowd of 360,000 people attend the opening round of the Copa Mexicana Championship.
The track underwent slight facility modifications in 2012 to prepare for the return of the Mexican Grand Prix, including a reprofiling of the front straight and reconfiguring of the Esses between Turns 7 and 13.
Grand Prix Circuit[edit | edit source]
The circuit has an elevation of 2,285 m (7,500 ft); the thin air causes difficulties for both the drivers and their cars, especially for cars utilizing naturally-aspirated engines (such as Copa Mexicana cars); the turbocharged engines used by Formula A and the WSCC alleviate most of these concerns.
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 greater speed through the corner. After the Mexican Grand Prix in 1992, a baseball stadium was built on the inner part of this curve. When the Copa Mexicana series began using the track in 1995, the peraltada curve was partially bypassed by a series of sharp turns entering and exiting the baseball field; re-entering the peraltada halfway through. While Copa Mexicana no longer uses that cut-through, Formula A and several other series continue to use it.
Upon exiting the Peraltada, drivers enter the 1.2 km long front straight. During the original turbo era in Formula A, the faster cars were regularly clocking speeds of up to 330 km/h (205 mph) on this straight. WSCC cars were slower through the circuit due to the cars' lower downforce levels and naturally-aspirated engines the series used.
The World Stock Car Championship ran its first race on the circuit in 1986; this marked the first time the series had visited Mexico, having run races in California and Phoenix for nearly two decades. During this era, the Round of Mexico was often considered a war against attrition, as the track was notorious for having a high number of mechanical failures due to the layout and elevation. The race was left off of the schedule for 1995, and did not appear again until 2007; however it would not be run in Mexico City until 2012.
Autodromo Ricardo Pérez[edit | edit source]
Location | Mexico City, Mexico |
Time Zone | {{{time_zone}}} |
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Opened | 1962 |
Major Events | World Stock Car Championship Soriana Mexico 300 (2012 - present) Copa Mexicana CDMX 250 (1995 - present) |
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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 back stretch of the circuit. Like the road course, the oval is raced clockwise. The oval configuration is used multiple times per year.
Due to the oval circuit's flat profile and abrasive surface, it has become notorious for extreme tire wear. Lap times may fall as much as five seconds over the course of a tire run, and several teams avoid running laps during free practice to save one set of tires for race day.
The oval course first hosted the World Stock Car Championship in 2012, after the Autódromo José Gutierrez was forced to withdraw from the schedule following a significant facilities fire late in 2011. it has continued to host the series, and in 2016 was confirmed as the host until at least 2019.
In recent years, the pit exit has been heavily criticized by drivers, as it places cars right in the racing line as soon as they exit the pit lane, and it is located at the furthest point from the spotter's stand on the track, making it difficult to see. This has caused several incidents through the years, including a wreck in 2009 that took Alain Roberts out of the car for three months.