Here’s what you need to know for F1’s trip to Mexico
Published:
Fresh from securing his third World Drivers’ Championship in the United States, Lewis Hamilton leads the Formula One fraternity southwards over the border as the sport makes a long-awaited return to Mexico.
Hamilton’s victory last Sunday ensured the Mercedes man wrapped up the title with three rounds to spare, and the Brit is 4/9 favourite to claim an eleventh victory of the season this weekend.
With both drivers’ and constructors’ titles now wrapped up, and little else left to play for, we can expect the gloves to come off in the remaining rounds, starting with this Sunday’s return to Mexico City.
Nigel Mansell won the last Grand Prix around the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in 1992, so ahead of round 17 of this year’s championship, we’ve put together a little history guide to brush up your Mexican GP knowledge.
So, did you know…
– Jim Clark won the first Mexican Grand Prix for Lotus in 1963, claiming a Grand Slam on the way of pole position, the fastest lap, and the win while leading every lap.
– Mexico has twice seen a three-man showdown for the championship. John Surtees and Graham Hill prevailed in 1964 and 1968 respectively.
– Nigel Mansell is a two-time Mexican winner but fluffed his lines when on the verge of the championship in 1986. The Williams man could only finish fifth and would infamously go on to lose the title to Alain Prost at the final round in Australia.
– Mexico has twice been the scene for breakthrough wins. Richie Ginther with Honda in 1965 and Gerhard Berger with Benetton in 1986 saw both driver and team claim their first victories.
– Alain Prost is the only driver to win in Mexico from lower than fourth on the grid. The Frenchman did so from 13th in 1990 in arguably his finest race.
– In 1992 a young hotshot called Michael Schumacher claimed his first podium. The seven-time champion would stand on the rostrum another 154 times.
– The circuit is located 2,200m – a mile and a half – above sea level, causing potential issues for the turbo power units this weekend in thinner air, while the main straight is one of the longest on the calendar at near 1200m, with top speeds approaching 225mph.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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