06/10/2015
NEWS STORY
Sergio Perez and Emerson Fittipaldi attended the official reopening of the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez at the weekend.
Later this month Mexico hosts a Formula One Grand Prix for the first time since 1992, when Nigel Mansell took victory on his way to the title.
The Magdalena Mixhuca circuit hosted its first Grand Prix, albeit non-championship, in 1962, the event a regular on the calendar until 1970 when it was dropped, its fate not helped by poor crowd control which saw spectators standing at the track’s edge during the race and even a dog running loose - the poor creature eventually being hit by Jackie Stewart's car.
After a break of 15 years, Mexico returned to the calendar, the circuit now renamed the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in honour of Mexican racing legends Ricardo and Pedro Rodriguez, the former killed during the 1962 event.
The reopening ceremony at the weekend, led by Mexico City Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera, saw Perez, Fittipaldi and a number of other personalities in attendance.
"It is very exciting, is a dream come true, to drive again in my country, having Formula 1 here is something very special," said Perez, who ran a couple of demonstration laps in Pedro Rodriguez' stunning BRM.
"I am anxious to test the refurbished track because of its emblematic history," he added. "I am sure that the Grand Prix will be one of the most exciting and challenging for the current generation of drivers."
"The race that will take place in Mexico in a few months will be legendary," said Fittipaldi, who has been appointed an official ambassador for the circuit, fellow ambassadors being Jo Ramirez and (former F1 driver) Hector Rebaque. "None of the drivers racing currently have had the opportunity to compete in the Mexican circuit, for it will be exciting to watch them testing their skills and trying their best moves, on a practically new and unexplored track."
"We have reopened the track but there is still some work to do in the next 30 days before the Grand Prix, which we are very proud to host in Mexico City," said Mancera.
"It is very exciting to be here in the historic Autodromo, which was first opened in 1959," added Alejandro Soberon, President of CIE, the company organizing ther event. "We have worked hard together with FIA (International Automobile Federation), using the best high-technology resources. The track has a 4.33km length and we know fans will enjoy it a lot."