The Rodríguez Brothers race track in Mexico City opened to the public on 3 October ahead of the Formula One race to be held there next month. The race track, measuring 2.67 miles, recently underwent a $50m (£32.94m) reconstruction. Mexican Formula One racer Sergio Pérez joined Mexico City mayor Miguel Mancera who led the ribbon cutting ceremony.
I think we have a combination of very fast, medium and very slow turns, so without a doubt this is going to make for a good race where youll be able to see passes and give the crowd a good race. I got really excited in the car, and as much as I didnt want to really step on it on the straight-away, I wanted to feel it [the course] a bit. The track is still a little slippery, said Pérez.
The track was completely rebuilt for the F1 race scheduled for 1 November. In addition to the track, a hospital and new stadium stands were built for the thousands of fans expected to attend the three-day event. Retired Brazilian Formula One racer Emerson Fittipaldi was also present for the inaugural celebration.
Its the ovation of the Mexican public because racing in your home (country) is very special. Its the first time that Sergio will be racing at home, here in Mexico. I can imagine the motivation and the emotion of the entire public, Fittipaldi said.
According to the official Formula One website, Mexicos Grand Prix race course will be comprised of 71 laps. Taking into account an average of 75 seconds per lap, the Mexican race track should be the second fastest in the world – second only to Italys Monza.
