By Jessica Borrell
- Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez Preview
- First time on calendar since 1992
- Constructors places yet to be finalised
Mexico City, Mexico – Although the driver’s and constructor’s champions have been decided, it is still all to play for further down the grid with an old friend playing host to round 17 of the 2015 season.
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You would think at this point of the season with both titles decided that there would be nothing more for Lewis Hamilton to aim for in this record breaking season. Yet, Hamilton is still on target to equal Sebastian Vettel’s record of 13 wins in a season from 2013. It’s going to be a Mercedes v Ferrari battle for second place but further down the grid teams are fighting for places, pride and a lot of pennies.
Mexico City back on the map
After a 23 year absence on the calendar, The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit is back to thrill, albeit with a few alterations. With three more corners and a long pit straight the track looks like it can challenge drivers. It has a mixture of low and high speed corners where drivers will need prepare physically for the sharp changes in g-force thrust upon them.
Sergio Perez, the only native currently racing, has had a string of strong results placing himself and Force India in a good position to capitalise at his home race. Perez told the Formula 1 website how proud he is that Mexico is finally recognised for its motoring passion.
“Mexico has a lot of history in motorsport: the fans know the sport; they have a lot of enthusiasm and have been waiting a long time for Formula One to come back. I think everyone will have a great time.”
“I had the chance to drive a lap of the new track layout recently and it’s a fantastic circuit. There are quite a few changes compared to the old layout when Formula One last raced there, but I don’t think the circuit has lost any of its character. The new section in the stadium is spectacular and it will be such an incredible emotion to drive through there for the first time when it’s full of fans. There are a lot of fast sections, but at the same time you have a combination of fast, slow and medium-speed corners that make for a very varied lap.”
There is also a British link to the Mexican track, as our very own Nigel Mansell has a corner named after him which Perez notes is a brilliant way to honour one of Mexico’s favourite drivers.
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“I am also happy to see the final corner has been named after Nigel Mansell. He is a hero to motorsport fans in Mexico and I admire all he has achieved. Nigel won the last race in Mexico in 1992 and produced one of the greatest overtakes of all times there, so it is right that he has been honoured in this way.”
The Mexican Grand Prix starts at 7pm and is live on Sky Sports F1 with highlights on the BBC.
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