Mexican Grand Prix: Key Events

Schumacher’s first podium

On March 22, 1992, at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Michael Schumacher, then 23 years old, will secure his first podium in Formula 1. Qualified in third position, the young German misses his start and finds himself relegated to sixth place. But behind the wheel of his Benetton B191, he will brilliantly climb up the pack, passing Gerhard Berger in the hairpin turn six, then his teammate Martin Brundle. Ayrton Senna’s retirement following a transmission problem on the twelfth lap will ensure Schumacher’s third place finish, behind the untouchable Williams of Nigel Mansell and Riccardo Patrese.

« I was hoping to step onto the podium this year, but I didn’t expect it to happen so early in the season,” Schumacher had confided after the race. « I am very happy with this result and it will take me some time to realize that it has really happened,” he said. » But what he still didn’t know at the time was that this podium at the Mexican Grand Prix was only the first of his 155 podiums and the start of a career that would see him become a seven-time Formula 1 world champion.

The masterclass without Clark’s third pedal.

The 1967 Mexican Grand Prix is engraved in Formula 1 folklore thanks to Jim Clark’s extraordinary performance. From the first laps of the race on the Magdalena Mixhuca circuit, the clutch of his Lotus will give up on him, a problem that usually forces a driver to retire. However, Clark had decided to continue. But without a clutch, every gear change had become an exercise in precision, and every pit stop a technical challenge that required the use of the starter to get going again.

Despite this handicap, he will not settle for just finishing the race, but he will also dominate it. Indeed, the Flying Scotsman will cross the finish line with a monumental lead of 1 minute and 25.36 seconds over Jack Brabham, who finished second. Denny Hulme, who will take the third step of the podium, will finish one lap behind the winner. It was the 25th victory in Formula 1 for Clark, and it had consolidated Lotus’ dominance that season.

The fourth title of Hamilton

On October 29, 2017, Lewis Hamilton won his fourth world title at the Mexican Grand Prix in dramatic circumstances. The British driver only needed a fifth place to secure the title, but destiny had other plans. A collision at the first corner with the Ferrari of his championship rival, Sebastian Vettel, forced him to make an unexpected pit stop, and Hamilton found himself at the back of the pack.

Throughout the race, Hamilton had fought to get back into the points, facing the challenges of Mexico’s high altitude affecting Mercedes’ cooling systems. His team kept reminding him on the radio that a ninth position would be enough for the title. Finally, Hamilton will cross the finish line in ninth place in the Mexican Grand Prix, which will be won by Max Verstappen.

The British driver will thus become the fifth driver in the history of F1 to win four championships or more, joining Prost, Fangio, Vettel, and Schumacher in this prestigious circle.

Perez’s Mexican Dream in 2022.

At the 2022 Mexico Grand Prix, Sergio “Checo” Pérez had secured third place in front of his home crowd, signing his second consecutive podium at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Starting from fourth position, Pérez had finished behind his Red Bull teammate Max Verstappen, the race winner, and the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton.

This result had triggered euphoric celebrations in the stands, where more than 395,000 fans had gathered over the weekend. Pérez had thus become the first Mexican driver to achieve two consecutive podium finishes at his home Grand Prix.

The podium ceremony was memorable, the crowd chanting “Checo! Checo!” even drowning out the national anthem, while his father, Antonio Pérez Garibay, was seen wiping away tears, showing how much this podium meant not only for Checo, but for all of Mexico.