The Formula 1 Mexico Grand Prix is celebrating its 10th anniversary with another sellout crowd, proving fears of the impact of Sergio Perez’s absence were overblown.
The Mexico City race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez has swiftly turned into an F1 staple, boosted by national fervour to support home hero Perez as he turned into a multiple grand prix winner in his 30s.
But even the Guadalajara native’s absence doesn’t seem to have dampened the race’s festival vibes, nor has it hugely impacted its ticket sales. When Perez was dropped by Red Bull at the end of last year, ticket sales had already reached the 90 percent mark, but the remaining supply steadily kept selling out, with more than 400,000 fans expected across the weekend.
“It was an interesting year for us because of the absence of Checo, who is very much loved by the Mexican fans,” Alejandro Soberon Kuri, CEO of the race’s promoter CIE, told select media including Autosport.
“There was a lot of uncertainty about Checo staying and he didn’t have a superb season, so that got a lot of people thinking. Maybe the only change this year was the pacing of the ticket sales. It was 90 percent sold at the beginning, and then smoothly reached the sold-out [status].”
Federico Gonzalez Compean, managing director of the race, added: “Mexican fans are very outspoken, so if they don’t feel like going, they would call you to let you know and try to get a refund. Not a single one [did that].
“I think the race is very, very deep in the hearts of the Mexican fans, and the government is also very keen to keep supporting it.”
Liam Lawson, Racing Bulls Team, Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Colin McMaster / LAT Images via Getty Images
Mexico’s enduring success is partly the by-product of F1’s growth and diversification as a whole, but the promoters have also consciously skewed their marketing efforts towards a three-way split between local fans from the capital, nationwide customers and overseas travellers, making themselves less dependent on individual segments, and boosting the tourism sector.
“I think the evolution of the audience since 2015, it has changed a lot,” Gonzalez explained. “We’ve been learning for 10 years how we’ve switched from [just] the hardcore fans to having Drive to Survive or now having the F1 movie.
“We are aiming to have 33% Mexico City patrons, 33% Mexico patrons, and also 33% international patrons. The Mexico City market alone could eat all the tickets of the grand prix, but we really focus on not permitting that.
Soberon added: “The Mexican market in general has grown tremendously in the past five years. In the entertainment side of our business, it almost tripled the number of tickets sold in the country. Today, probably Mexico is way up in the best three or four entertainment countries in the world for the amount of the volume of tickets sold and the performance.
“Shakira just played in this stadium 12 nights, sold out stadiums, and she could have sold another five. She sold 1.2 million tickets in the country.”
Sergio Perez returns to the grid with Cadillac in 2026
Photo by: Luke Hales / Getty Images
As part of Mexico’s international segment, the event has welcomed more Argentinian fans following the arrival of Franco Colapinto, and promoters say they have also successfully targeted Canadian fans who have become more hesitant to visit US races given the current political tension between the two countries.
“We see a few more Canadian flags and we’re very happy to have them all here,” Gonzalez said. “The market is growing and it’s been changing, we see more women and [younger fans] buying a ticket.”
But while this year’s ticketing success despite Perez’s absence has given the event confidence it can thrive on its own, Soberon and Gonzalez are naturally delighted the 35-year-old is returning to the grid next year with newcomer Cadillac.
“At least we have a new suite for Cadillac for next year. And there are conversations with Audi already, so it’s going to be a benefit,” Gonzalez revealed.
Soberon added: “It’s going to take some time, but it’s going to be good to have a team for General Motors, I think it’s going to be very big. They’re going to become very loved by Mexican fans.”
CIE promises to “keep investing” in the 4.4km circuit, with conversations expected to start next year to extend the current contract, which runs out in 2028.
“We’re very happy that we are on the calendar until 2028 already,” Soberon said. “We all promised ourselves that we should have discussions early next year about the longer term. What we’re trying is to have is to always be three to five years ahead.
“Mexico City is a really good stop for F1, and it’s an economic success.”
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