MEXICO CITY — The Mexican Grand Prix will celebrate its 10th anniversary with another sold-out crowd — an accomplishment celebrated by promoters who worried the absence of Sergio Perez in the field this year would cause a decline.
Approximately 150,000 people are expected Sunday at Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez as four-time reigning F1 champion Max Verstappen continues to chip away at his deficit to McLaren teammates Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in the driver championship race.
Alejandro Soberon Kuri, the founder and CEO of promoters Grupo CIE and OCESA, said Perez not having a ride this season forced them work harder to sell out the race. Tickets go on sale nearly a year in advance and because the Mexican driver was still with Red Bull at the time, there was an initial early rush on purchasing.
But when Perez was fired at the end of the season, sales slowed, Kuri said Saturday.
“It was an interesting year for us because of the absence of Checo, who is very much beloved by the Mexican fans,” he said. “But we were very sure that we had a lot of traction with the community. They're very fond of Formula 1, very knowledgeable about Formula 1, and again, another sellout.”
Perez has been hired alongside Valtteri Bottas to be the first drivers for the Cadillac F1 team launching next season — a boost that already has led to at least one additional suite sale for General Motors for the 2026 race. With Perez expected to be back on the grid in Mexico City next year, promoters are eager to open the ticket sales window.
“It was 90% sold at the beginning (when Perez had a ride), and then it smoothly reached the sold-out mark,” Kuri said. “We're going to go on sale in three weeks, almost 11 months in advance.”
The race is on F1's schedule through the 2028 season and next year will have to compete for spending dollars with soccer's World Cup, which will be partially held in Mexico.
Final practice
Norris paced the field for the final practice ahead of Saturday qualifying, besting Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari and George Russell of Mercedes.
Charles Leclerc of Ferrari was fourth and points leader Piastri of McLaren was fifth, one spot ahead of Verstappen.
The Red Bull driver has clawed back into contention for a fifth consecutive title by winning three of the past four races, as well as the sprint race at Circuit of the Americas last weekend.
Piastri holds the driver standings lead at 14 points ahead of Norris and 40 ahead of Verstappen with five races remaining. But Verstappen was 104 points behind Piastri only five races ago.
Repercussions removed
McLaren has been expected to issue some sort of punishment against Norris for the way he raced Piastri in Singapore, but the current points leader revealed the team has backed away from any repercussions.
Norris hit Piastri on the first lap in Singapore and McLaren felt after a review that it was avoidable and Norris warranted some sort of punishment. It was expected the team would give Piastri priority to choose the order of the two cars leaving the pits in qualifying.
But Piastri tangled with Nico Hulkenberg at the start of last weekend's sprint race and the contact caused him to hit Norris, knocking both McLarens out of the running of that event in Texas.
Because of the second incident, Piastri said McLaren came to Mexico City with a “clean slate" as both drivers try to fend off Verstappen and give McLaren a driver championship.
“I think there is a degree of responsibility from my side in the sprint, and we’re starting this weekend with a clean slate for both of us," Piastri said. "We’re just going out and racing and see who can come out on top. The consequences on Lando’s side have been removed. There’s a lot of factors involved, but ultimately, yes, that’s what’s been decided.”
Leclerc not optimistic
As Ferrari closes in on the one-year anniversary of its last win — Carlos Sainz Jr. at Mexico City last October — Leclerc warned that his podium at last weekend's United States Grand Prix is not a true indicator that a victory is near.
It was Leclerc's sixth podium of the season — five of them were third-place finishes — but first since Belgium six races ago.
“If we look at the gap compared to the McLarens, it remained kind of the same. For us, we are more focused about next year, which I hope will help us," Leclerc said. “It was a very positive weekend. Whether from now on we can consistently fight for a podium, I think it is a long shot, but I will try to make this happen again this weekend.”
Hamilton, in his first season with Ferrari, has yet to score a podium finish and equaled his season-best result by finishing fourth in Texas. He was also fourth at Silverstone in July.
Hamilton hopes the gains made in the United States a week ago help Sunday in Mexico City.
“Coming from a positive weekend, I’m confident that this weekend we can try to do the same again. I think we’re on the right path," the seven-time world champion said. “I feel like we’re going in the right direction. Rome wasn’t built in a day, so it takes time to build.”
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