Mexican Grand Prix

Mexican Grand Prix

Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez
Race information
Laps	69
Circuit length	4.421 km ( mi)
Race length	305.049 km ( mi)
Number of times held	16
First held	1962
Last held	1992
Most wins (drivers)	Jim Clark (3)
Most wins (constructors)	Lotus (4)
Last race (1992):
Pole position	Nigel Mansell Williams-Renault 1:16.346
Podium	1. Nigel Mansell Williams-Renault 1:31:53.587 2. Riccardo Patrese Williams-Renault +12.971s 3. Michael Schumacher Benetton-Ford +21.429s
Fastest lap	Gerhard Berger McLaren-Honda 1:17.711

The Mexican Grand Prix (Gran Premio de Mexico) was a Formula One auto race held at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City. It first appeared as a non-championship event in 1962 before being held as a championship event from 1963-1970 and 1986-1992.

Early races

The Mexican Grand Prix was first held on 4 November 1962 at the Magdalena Mixhuca circuit. The circuit was the first international racetrack in Mexico and was built within a park in the capital city of Mexico City. The race provided rare challenges racing at high-altitude and the challenge of the large lightly banked and fast peraltada corner that finishes the lap, in addition to being a bumpy racetrack from actively shifting soils beneath the circuit.

The first race, a non-championship affair which attracted a strong international entry, was won by Team Lotus with Jim Clark taking over the car of team mate Trevor Taylor to claim the first win after Clark was black-flagged after receiving a push-start at a confused race start. The meeting was marred by the death og young Mexican star Ricardo Rodríguez who as a teenager was already a works Ferrari driver. Despite this, Rodriguez died after injuries received crashing a Rob Walker run Lotus 24 on the peraltada. The Formula One World Championship arrived the following year with Clark winning again. The race continued until 1970 when it was dropped from the calendar. An enormous crowd of approximately 200,000 arrived to see Pedro Rodríguez, but officials struggled to control the crowd with at one point a dog running across the track and was hit by Jackie Stewart. Clark won the race again in 1967, his three wins establishing himself as the most prolific winner of the race to this day.

1980s return

American IndyCars arrived for a brief two-year visit in 1980 and 1981, racing as the Grand Prix of Mexico on the track now named for Mexico two lost racing heroes, Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. The event was dominated by Rick Mears. Five years later with much improved organisation the race returned to Mexico City in 1986 where the raced played host to Gerhard Berger's first race win in his Benetton B186 in a race where an ill Berger outlasted his opposition as tyres problems struck most of the field. The race again enjoyed a short stay on the calendar with the race last being held in 1992 where Williams pair Nigel Mansell and Riccardo patrese dominated the race. By this point the bumps had decayed even further and the decline of Mexico City itself with increasing crowding and pollution problems saw Formula One leave for good. 2002 saw the revival of the Grand Prix of Mexico for Champ Cars on a much modified version of the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez circuit which included cutting the peraltada in half. In a six year stay which saw Sébastien Bourdais win half of the six races that followed.

Revival

Rumors first surfaced in 2003^[1] that the Mexican Grand Prix might return to the Formula One calendar at a new $70 million circuit, dubbed Mantarraya, to be built near Cancún. In 2005, the governor of the Quintana Roo state boldly stated Mexico would have a Grand Prix on the calendar for 2006.^[2]. The plan was halted, possibly scuttled, later that year as a debate arose about whether the land the circuit was to be built on was properly owned by the right people to do so.^[3]

After the 2006 United States Grand Prix, Bernie Ecclestone announced that the Grand Prix of Mexico would return for the 2009 season. The race has not appeared on any calendar since this announcement, and this could mean a delay of the race yet longer.

In August 2011, plans for a revived race were revealed.^[4]

Winners of the Mexican Grand Prix

Repeat winners (drivers)

Embolded drivers are competing in the Formula One championship in the current season.
A pink background indicates an event which was not part of the Formula One World Championship.

# of wins	Driver	Years
3	Jim Clark	1962*, 1963, 1967
2	Alain Prost	1988, 1990
	Nigel Mansell	1987, 1992

*Shared win with Trevor Taylor

Repeat winners (constructors)

Embolded teams are competing in the Formula One championship in the current season.
A pink background indicates an event which was not part of the Formula One World Championship.

# of wins	Constructor	Years won
4	Lotus	1962, 1963, 1967, 1968
3	McLaren	1969, 1988, 1989
	Williams	1987, 1991, 1992
2	Ferrari	1970, 1990

By year

Note: Pink background indicates non-Championship year.

Year	Driver	Constructor	Location	Report
1992	Nigel Mansell	Williams-Renault	Mexico City	Report
1991	Riccardo Patrese	Williams-Renault	Mexico City	Report
1990	Alain Prost	Ferrari	Mexico City	Report
1989	Ayrton Senna	McLaren-Honda	Mexico City	Report
1988	Alain Prost	McLaren-Honda	Mexico City	Report
1987	Nigel Mansell	Williams-Honda	Mexico City	Report
1986	Gerhard Berger	Benetton-BMW	Mexico City	Report
1985 - 1971	Not held
1970	Jacky Ickx	Ferrari	Mexico City	Report
1969	Denny Hulme	McLaren-Ford	Mexico City	Report
1968	Graham Hill	Lotus-Ford	Mexico City	Report
1967	Jim Clark	Lotus-Ford	Mexico City	Report
1966	John Surtees	Cooper-Maserati	Mexico City	Report
1965	Richie Ginther	Honda	Mexico City	Report
1964	Dan Gurney	Brabham-Climax	Mexico City	Report
1963	Jim Clark	Lotus-Climax	Mexico City	Report
1962	Trevor Taylor Jim Clark	Lotus-Climax	Mexico City	Report

References

1. ^ http://www.itv-f1.com/WhereNext.aspx?type=WHERE_NEXT&PO_ID=18927
2. ^ F1 News > Mexico announces race in October 2006
3. ^ F1 News > Hasta la vista Mexico!
4. ^ http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/93694