Fiesta at the baseball stadium: XXL preview of the 2nd Formula E race of the season in Mexico City

It's time for the first Formula E race of the new year. Mexico City was the season opener last year, but this year the E-Prix takes the second spot on the calendar after the season opener in Sao Paulo. Formula E got off to a furious start in its eleventh season in December: The new Attack Mode with all-wheel drive shook up the field and, after some chaos including Wehrlein's roll-over, Mitch Evans won from the very back. It could get wild again in Mexico! Find out what we expect from the E-Prix in our big race preview.

Where exactly is the Formula E race taking place?

Mexico City is the capital of the Central American country. The huge metropolis lies at an astonishing 2,240 metres above sea level in a basin. Accordingly, the thin air is often an issue on the famous race track, the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. In contrast to other racing series, however, it has little impact on the electric motors of Formula E. The electric racing series has been travelling to the heart of Mexico every year since 2016. Only once, during the Covid-19 pandemic, did it race in Puebla instead of Mexico City.

The highlight of the race track is the former baseball stadium, which was recently expanded and renamed the "Estadio GNP Seguros". The racetrack runs through the arena, which now seats almost 65,000 spectators in its stands. In Episode 350 of our (German) Formula E podcast ePod, Nico Müller praises the venue to the skies: "In terms of the event itself, Mexico is of course outstanding. What makes Mexico special is the stadium. The passionate fans and the atmosphere - you won't find that anywhere else"

Fast-Stats | Mexico City E-Prix

• Pascal Wehrlein and Lucas di Grassi are the most successful drivers in Mexico with two wins each. They are followed by Mitch Evans, Jake Dennis, Jerome d'Ambrosio and Daniel Abt with one win each.

• However, Sebastien Buemi secured the most podium places (4). Wehrlein and Jean-Eric Vergne achieved three podium ceremonies each.

• Wehrlein has been hard to beat in qualifying in Mexico so far: he is the only driver to have secured pole position more than once - three times in fact! He last achieved this in season 10.

• No one scored more points in Mexico City than the German. Wehrlein's 88 points beat both Buemi and di Grassi with 79 points each.

• The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is a successful track for German drivers anyway. Of the ten drivers with the most points, three drove under the German flag: Wehrlein (1st), Andre Lotterer (7th) and Abt (9th).

Who will be broadcasting the Formula E races in Mexico on TV & livestream?

The Mexico City E-Prix is scheduled as one of only a few single races this season. The sole race day is therefore Saturday, 11 January, although the broadcast of the first free practice session will start shortly before midnight on Friday (CET). Due to the time difference to Mexico, the second free practice session and qualifying will start in the afternoon, while the race will take place in the European evening.

The broadcasters for the race and qualifying will depend on your region. But as usual, e-Formula.news offers English-language live streams for both free practice sessions. On top of that, you can follow all sessions of the Mexico City E-Prix in our popular Formula E live ticker.

 
All data in Central European Time (CET)

What characterises the race track in Mexico City?

The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is one of the fastest circuits on the Formula E racing calendar and, with its location at 2,250 metres above sea level, is also the highest, which presents a particular challenge for the drivers. The track layout itself uses a short section of the well-known Formula 1 circuit and is particularly famous for its long, fast straight and a technical section in the infield.

Although the track map is identical to last year's, the circuit is indicated as being two metres longer in the first sector than last year. Unfortunately, it is not clear exactly where there has been a change - but we would guess turn 1 or turn 3. The biggest change involves the stadium: last year it was still called "Foro Sol" and offered 24,000 seats. After renovations, it is now called "Estadio GNP Seguros" and has 37,500 seats - at concerts it can even accomodate 65,000 people!

In which order do the drivers start qualifying?

In Formula E, qualifying takes place in two stages: Group stage and knockout stage. For group qualifying, the driver field is initially divided into two halves, with all drivers in the odd-numbered championship positions (positions 1, 3, 5, 7, etc.) competing in Group A and the drivers in the even-numbered positions in Group B.

The four drivers with the fastest lap times in their group after twelve minutes will then progress to the quarter-finals, where they will duel for the best grid positions. The qualifying groups for the race in Mexico are as follows.

What will the weather be like in Mexico City?

There is a dry season in Mexico between December and April - and the E-Prix will take place in just a few days during this period. The weather will probably be unspectacular and consistent. A warm 22 to 23 degrees celsius and only slightly overcast skies are not expected to have a major impact on the racing.

Who are the favourites?

After Jaguar's victory in the last race, you would think that their chances in Mexico are also good. However, they benefited from the new Attack Mode dynamics in the last race, and Nick Cassidy in particular was not at the top level without his four-wheel drive. He and Evans also had a terrible qualifying. But if they can shake off their problems from Sao Paulo, a podium is realistic, maybe even more.

Porsche and Nissan were the fastest in Sao Paulo, and Wehrlein in particular is considered the top favourite to win in Mexico. Without accidents or the technical problems at Nissan, which led to drive-through penalties, these two teams have very good chances. Oliver Rowland in particular has been driving one strong race after another since the middle of the tenth season. As long as Nissan gets its software under control, they are undoubtedly in a good position. Jake Dennis is considered the secret favourite.