By james art MEXICO CITY — High altitude, low traction.
Formula 1 has arrived at one of the highest tracks on its calendar: the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Compared to the Mile High City of Denver, which is 1,609.344 meters (one mile) above sea level, the Mexican track is just over two kilometers (almost 1.5 miles). The next closest F1 track in terms of altitude is Brazil’s Autódromo José Carlos Pace (Interlagos), which is 800 meters (just under 0.5 miles) away. The change in altitude brings more obstacles than simply thinning the air; it also affects engine power, cooling and downforce to name a few.
The track layout is similar to the original 1959 track except for the Peralta corner split (turns 16 and 17) and passing through the old Foro Sol baseball stadium. Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is nestled just southeast of the bustling metropolis, and its paddock is decked out to the nines with Mexican culture. It’s a balance between passion, culture and motorsports.
Before the drivers take to the track, here’s what you need to know about Mexico’s premier racetrack.
How it all started
The track’s origins are captured in its name, which literally translates to “Autodrome of the Rodriguez brothers”.
Ricardo and Pedro Rodríguez helped increase the popularity of motorsport in Mexico. According to F1, their father was an adviser to Mexican President Adolfo Lopez Mateo. He proposed to the President to create a motor sports track using the existing internal roads in the Magdalena Mixiuhca Sports Park in Mexico City. The president agreed and the runway was built less than a year later.
The original complex offered a variety of layouts, including an oval. However, the original circuit was not originally named after the brothers. According to racingcircuits.info the name is Autódromo Magdalena Mixhuca.
Formula 1 did not arrive until 1962 with a non-championship Grand Prix, but it was marked by tragedy after Ricardo Rodriguez died during practice when his car overturned and caught fire. The sport returned as a world championship a year later and Jim Clark dominated the grand prix. F1 remained until 1970, but due to safety concerns it was dropped by the mid-1980s. It underwent a renovation and the sport returned from 1986 to 1992. But Mexico dropped from the calendar until 2015.
The track was officially named Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in early 1970, shortly after the death of Pedro Rodríguez. He suffered fatal injuries during a sports car race and died in hospital in 1971.
A line of cars passes as a fan waves a Mexican flag during the final practice session for the Formula One Mexican Grand Prix at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on October 29, 2016 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
Why altitude changes the game
Lower air pressure and less air affect the performance of cars.
Take engine power for example. F1 cars of the modern era are turbocharged and the air is electronically compressed via the energy recovery system. Although the car can burn as much oxygen at this altitude as it does at sea level, the turbo works harder, putting more strain on the unit.
Also, air-dependent systems tend to struggle on tracks like this and will run hotter, making cooling more difficult.
And then there’s the complex concept of downforce. Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is a shorter track with a long main straight and usually with this layout teams gravitate towards a car with low downforce. However, the altitude means the teams have more downforce to get up to speed, as fans see at Monza. The wings used in Mexico are more substantial than those used in Italy.
What the paddock has to say
This track is special for Red Bull’s Sergio Perez – it’s home.
“This is the weekend you want to be perfect, the weekend you want to get the maximum result,” he said on Thursday. “And if there’s one particular Grand Prix you want to win, it’s your home Grand Prix.”
But putting together a tour can be quite difficult. Sector 1 starts with the long main straight three turns and another straight before heading into the twisty sector 2. Esteban Ocon said: “If you’re confident about stopping here, it’s usually a good weekend for you. Spin 1 down, spin 4 too, plenty of time to win. And it’s actually very difficult because you’re at such a high speed with very low downforce that can make your lap disappear in a second.”
The key, the Alpine driver said, is “to nail all the braking points and then not overheat your tires at those braking points, which leaves you with good grip in low-speed corners and good exits.”
Nico Hulkenberg added that it’s a technical track where drivers “always feel you have to drive a little bit less. If you want to push too much, you pay a price very quickly and you lose more than you gain with the feeling of low downforce that you have in the car and that feeling of low grip.”
Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez poses a challenge that pushes drivers as close to the limit as possible. As Williams head of vehicle performance, Dave Robson, said in the team’s 2023 preview, “The cars need to be nimble at low speed but remain stable in the high-speed section.”
This is an updated version of a story first released in October 2023.
(Watch a video courtesy of EA Sports F1 — learn more about “F1 24” here.)
Lead Image Design: Drew Jordan/Athletic