Mexico City Track Preview
- therookiereporters
- Oct 26, 2025
- 3 min read
Next up is the Mexico City Grand Prix, where the vibrant atmosphere is filled with music and the cultural tradition of honoring ancestors with skeletons is in full swing. Before the lights go out, there are a few things you should know about the track, what happened last year, and what we might expect this time around!
We first raced on the 4.304km track in Mexico City in 1963. It's obvious why all the fans adore the Stadium Section, with the cars passing them 71 times during the Grand Prix. In 2021, Valtteri Bottas set the fastest lap around the track at 1:17.774s. Will we see anyone on the grid conquer this title?
The 2024 Mexico City Grand Prix saw the home hero, Sergio Perez, jump the start and receive a five-second penalty. Later in the race, he collided with Kiwi Liam Lawson and sustained damage, leaving him last amongst the classified runners. Alex Albon and Yuki Tsunoda made contact on lap one, which brought out the safety car; both cars were forced to retire from the Grand Prix. Another driver to retire was Fernando Alonso. On his 400th Grand Prix start, the Spaniard wouldn’t see the chequered flag fall due to debris from Albon and Tsunoda’s incident getting caught in his brake ducts. Initially, the team tried to nullify the effects; however, the high temperature became too dangerous for the 44-year-old to continue racing.
Once again, we had a battle between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris. The title contenders came head-to-head on lap 10, and Verstappen was initially awarded a 10-second time penalty for forcing Norris off at turn 4. The Dutch driver then went off the track to gain an advantage at turn 8 and received another 10-second penalty. This resulted in Max placing sixth and Lando placing second. Pole was clinched by Carlos Sainz and converted into a successful race win for Ferrari. Charles Leclerc finished third to further add to the team’s trophy cabinet.
With the 2025 championship title in full swing and our contenders' points gaps getting ever smaller, who will take gold in Mexico City? Oscar Piastri, having had a difficult weekend in Texas, will be looking for a strong result to bring back some confidence and continue to lead the championship fight. However, the first-lap incident during the sprint race might have a detrimental consequence after taking out his teammate and himself from the session.
Lando Norris had a weekend of highs and lows, topping the time sheet in FP1, starting second in the sprint and Grand Prix, finishing second in the race, but being left pointless in the sprint. He will be fighting for a more consistent weekend in South America. He is 14 points behind the championship leader and teammate Piastri.
Max Verstappen had a dominant weekend, taking pole for both points-paying sessions and taking home maximum points for his Milton Keynes-based team. He is now 40 points away from leading the championship and only 24 points away from Norris in second.
It’s certain these three will be the ones to watch around Mexico City, but who will be victorious this weekend?
Article written by Alice Seager ©️Alice Seager 2025
