2015 Track Preview; Mexican Grand Prix, Mexico City

As we head to Mexico for the Mexican Grand Prix this weekend since the last race here 23 years ago, Pirelli have selected the P Zero medium and soft P Zero tyres from their range for this weekend's race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez racetrack.

The circuit was originally built in 1962 in a public park and that is not the only similarity to Monza. There are some fast straights and rapid corners that are quite similar to those of Pirelli's home track, With the current circuit has been heavily revised, but still maintains plenty of the character of the original. However, with no real data from the track, Pirelli has relied instead on computer simulation to prepare for the race and decide which compounds will be most suitable for the event and have selected the best options based on that data.

The best-known corner is the fast and long right-hander called Peraltada (the final corner before the pit straight) but only half of the original profile has been retained, for safety reasons. The first half of the original Peraltada has now been replaced with a technical stadium section, similar to Hockenheim.

The circuit has the highest altitude of any Formula One venue all year: this affects both aerodynamics (as the engineers have to put on more wing to get the same effect in the thin air) as well as top speed. The turbocharged cars are expected to exceed 330kph on the 1.3-kilometre straight.

Extreme weather is currently affecting a large part of North America. This makes the weather forecast uncertain over the next few days, with a strong probability of adverse conditions in the aftermath of Hurricane Patricia.

And 2ith Formula One returns to Mexico at a reworked version of the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City (which was named after Mexico's two most famous drivers: brothers Pedro and Ricardo Rodriguez), we are heading into the unknown this weekend and we could see a few surprises heading our way.
Here are the facts and figures going into this race weekend in Mexico…

Facts and Figures:-

• The Mexican GP was a non-championship event in 1962 at the Magdalena Mixhuca circuit until 1970
• The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriquez circuit then hosted the Mexican GP from 1986 until 1992
• The race track was named after the brothers Ricardo and Pedro Rodriguez who sadly died in racing accidents
• The last race saw Nigel Mansell winning the Grand Prix for the Williams team in 1992
• Jim Clark is the most successful driver to win the Grand Prix with 3 wins
• Lotus is the most successful constructor to win the Grand Prix with 4 wins
• Race Distance: 4.484km
• Turns: 17
• Lap record: N/A

Last five winners of the Mecican Grand Prix:-
• 1988- Alain Prost
• 1989 Aryton Senna
• 1990- Alain Prost
• 1991- Riccardo Patrese
• 1992- Nigel Mansell

My five things to look out for this weekend:-

1.Tyre and brake performance- With the track being hard on tyres and also on the performance of the brakes due to the characteristics of the Mexican circuit; we could see teams and drivers struggling to get the Pirelli compounds lasting throughout the course of the weekend and also maintain high levels of concentration in the race. Will this impact anyone's race on Sunday as a result?

2.Renault announcing their future plans in F1- With rumours speculating that Renault are in final negotiations with the Lotus F1 team to buy the team outright; will we hear the news that everyone is expecting this weekend or not?

3. Toro Rosso edging closer to an Ferrari engine deal for the 2016 season- With rumours circulating this week that the Toro Rosso team are close to signing an engine deal with Ferrari next year, will we see an announcement this weekend about the future of Red Bull's sister team?

4. The performance of Sergio Perez- With local driver Perez taking part in his home race, all eyes will be upon him and he performs in the car. He is currently had a great few races which saw gain a podium in Sochi after a great performance. But will the local crowd see their boy do the same again at a track which he has nothing but praise for?

5.Weather- With Mexico suffering with the weather after Hurricane Patricia hit the country last weekend, everyone is hoping that the weather will be okay for the return of the Mexican GP this weekend and that the threat of the Hurricane has been removed and the race can go ahead as planned.

Sky Sports F1 are showing uninterrupted coverage of every Practice session, Qualifying and race for the Grand Prix (and every race of the season) and the BBC also are showing coverage, details for both are below:-

• Sky Sports F1:- Friday (Practice 1 and 2) 3.45pm and 7.45pm [Replays throughout Friday], Saturday (Practice 3 and Qualifying) 3.45pm and 6.00pm [Replays throughout Saturday], Sunday (Race) 5.30pm
• BBC– Saturday (Qualifying highlights) 10.45pm, Sunday (Race Highlights) 10.30pm

Sarah Jones- @jonesy_laaa

Thanks as always to Graham and Leigh for their excellent circuit representation.