Amid swirling rumors that Mexican driver Sergio “Checo” Pérez will return to Formula 1 with the new Cadillac team, Mexican motorsport fans have been electrified by the news that the Mexico City Grand Prix will remain on the F1 calendar through 2028.
With the current contract in its final year, a new three-year extension was confirmed Wednesday by Mexico City Mayor Clara Brugada, Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and other officials.
It ensures the 66-year-old Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez will continue to host one of the sport’s most vibrant and best-attended races, which drew 154,142 fans for last year’s final in which Perez finished dead last among 17 cars.
In hailing the commitment between Formula 1 and Mexico City’s government, Brugada emphasized that the event will persist without spending taxpayer money, relying instead on private and business sector support.
Since its return in 2015, the Mexico City Grand Prix has become a marquee event, drawing record crowds — 405,000 attended over three days in 2024 — and adding significantly to the city’s economy and profile.
“This not only contributes to the economic development of Mexico City, but also promotes our city, as well as our country, in a significant way worldwide,” Alejandro Soberón, president and general director of Grupo CIE, an entertainment and media company headquartered in Mexico City, said in an F1 news report.
Domenicali echoed the sentiment, calling the event “one of the most incredible and energetic experiences of our championship.”
Brugada, meanwhile, in a quote in the sports news outlet Marca, hinted at even more positive news for fans. “At the beginning of next year, we will be giving you better news about the continuation of this wonderful event for many years in Mexico City,” she said.
The Mexico City Grand Prix became a Formula 1 main event in 1963 but was dropped in 1970 due largely to the inability to control massive crowds, making things dangerous for drivers.
It returned in 1986 at a redesigned racetrack, won by Gerhard Berger driving a Benetton-BMW, and stayed on the calendar until 1992, when it was dropped due to an inability to modernize the circuit and issues with pollution.
After 23 years, Formula 1 returned to Mexico City after the track underwent significant upgrades to meet modern standards, with Nico Rosberg winning that 2015 race for Mercedes.
Last year’s 305-kilometer race was won by Carlos Sainz for Ferrari.
This year’s Mexico City Grand Prix will take place from Oct. 24–26 and the experience will, for the first time, include the F1 Garage, a premium hospitality and food area backed by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay.
Meanwhile, “Checo” Pérez’s next move remains a hot topic. The winner of six Formula 1 races, who in December parted ways with Red Bull Racing (a two-man team led by four-time F1 season champion Max Verstappen) after back-to-back mediocre seasons, is in talks with Cadillac, but other teams might want the veteran driver.
Cadillac, set to join the F1 grid as a constructor for the first time in 2026, sees Pérez’s 281 starts in F1 and his experience over a 14-year career as vital assets for a novice team.
Although his signature with F1’s soon-to-be 11th team isn’t certain, Cadillac officials are in Florida ahead of this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix. They are gearing up for the team’s first official public announcement — but whether it includes any “Checo” news is anyone’s guess.
