The details of F1 Mexico GP was shared in FIA Race Directors’ note, as full lust of FP1 runners is also noted along with drivers opining on Austin’s ‘tapegate’.
The white lines remain track limits denominator as per FIA Race Directors’ note for F1 Mexico GP, but there is additional catch for certain corners and rejoining procedure to avoid any incidents. Driver failing will see their lap times deleted or handed larger penalty.
There are –
- Additionally, if a driver fails to negotiate turn 17, this may result in that lap time and the immediately following lap time being invalidated by the Stewards.
- For the safe and orderly conduct of the event, any driver who misses the apex of Turn 4, enters the run-off area, and crosses the solid yellow line painted across the run-off area with all 4 wheels may only re-join the circuit after Turn 5 using the asphalt rejoin route Drivers may only use the grass if it is clearly unavoidable.
- Any driver whose car passes completely behind the red and white kerb at the apex of Turn 11 must re-join the track by keeping to the right of the first polystyrene block arrangement and then wholly to the left of the second polystyrene block parallel to the on the exit of the corner.
From the last event in 2024, there are only couple of changes made to the F1 Mexico GP circuit, which are ‘asphalt grinding at Turn 12 near the 150 meters brake marker’ and ‘blue line behind the white line added at the turns: 3 apex, 5 apex and exit, 6 apex and exit, 9 apex’.
In terms of the DRS zones for F1 Mexico GP, the first’s detection is 70m after Turn 9 and activation is 80m after Turn 11. The second and third’s detection is exit of Turn 15, with activation of second is 240m after Turn 17 and third’s activation is 115m after Turn 3.
The FIA stewards panel will be led by Dr. Gerd Ennser and he will have support from Matthew Selly, Pedro Lamy and Alfonso Oros Trigueros. Additionally, there will be nine rookie runners during the FP1 session as part of the regulation.
List of FP1 runners in FP1 –
McLaren: Pato O’Ward (Lando Norris)
Ferrari: Antonio Fuoco (Lewis Hamilton)
Red Bull: Arvid Lindblad (Max Verstappen)
Mercedes: Frederik Vesti (George Russell)
Aston Martin: Jak Crawford (Lance Stroll)
Alpine: Paul Aron (Pierre Gasly)
Haas: Ryo Hirakawa (Oliver Bearman)
Visa Cash App RB: Ayumu Iwasa (Liam Lawson)
Williams: Luke Browning (Carlos Sainz)
FP1 rookie sessions completed thus far (per team needs to do four sessions) –
McLaren: Alex Dunne (Lando Norris, Austria; Oscar Piastri, Italy)
Ferrari: Dino Beganovic (Charles Leclerc, Bahrain & Austria)
Red Bull: Ayumu Iwasa (Max Verstappen, Bahrain), Arvid Lindblad (Yuki Tsunoda, Britain)
Mercedes: Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Australia, China); Frederick Vesti (George Russell, Bahrain)
Williams: Luke Browning (Carlos Sainz, Bahrain); Victor Martins (Alexander Albon, Spain)
Visa Cash App RB: Isack Hadjar (Australia, China)
Haas: Ryo Hirakawa (Oliver Bearman, Bahrain; Esteban Ocon, Spain)
Aston Martin: Felipe Drugovich (Fernando Alonso, Bahrain, Hungary)
Alpine: Jack Doohan/Ryo Hirakawa (Australia, Japan)
Sauber: Gabriel Bortoleto (Australia, China), Paul Aron (Nico Hulkenberg, Britain, Hungary)
The ‘tapegate’ was a talking point as well during the course of Thursday in F1 Mexico GP. It followed on from Austin, where Red Bull were fined after ignoring marshal’s safety message when a mechanic was a bit late in trying to remove a duct tape from the grid wall, out up by McLaren for Lando Norris.
Both the McLaren drivers Norris and Oscar Piastri had their say along with the Red Bull pair of Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda, as some other F1 drivers chimed in on the topic as well. It is likely that Red Bull will stop doing it after talks between their team bosses.
Norris: “Yeah, good job by them. Yeah, because they can. I didn’t use the tape, so it was extra amusing because I didn’t need it. We just put it there in case. So it made it extra funny because they got a penalty for it and I didn’t even need it. They also tried to remove it and failed because we made it special, so they couldn’t even take it off. So it was just amusing little side quests, I guess, for other teams to entertain themselves. We were always laughing about it. I didn’t use it at all, I just use the line on the grid. As I said, I just use it in case I am bit to the right or something and you can’t see the line.
“It is just a back-up if I need it. I used it for a little while and they tried to remove it already in I think Monzas and a couple other places. So that’s why we kind of made it like the F1 [car park] passes that you can never get out of the window ever? Like that. It was amusing to kind of try to see them taking it off and it not going to plan. I’ll continue to use it. Sometimes I’d never use it at all because it’s almost too far away, sometimes I do. But 95% of the time, I use the line on the grid, so why to even bother.”
Piastri: “I mean, I don’t have that much to add, but they’re within their rights to do it. But obviously, in Austin, they were on the grid too late doing it. So, yeah. I guess gamesmanship. But everyone will have their own opinion on whether it’s necessary or not.”
Verstappen: “There’s a yellow line right on the grid box, you look at that one, so you just park your car, doesn’t matter where you start really. But yeah, some people have other practices, I get that. I guess in Austin it took a bit longer [to leave the grid] for whatever reason and, yeah, the gate closed, but I don’t know if he was instructed or not in the right way to stay out of it. I think it’s quite clear, right, how they explained it also to the stewards. So, I think that is quite understandable that you get fined for that. And it doesn’t even have anything to do with the tape, you can’t hold up the procedure of closing the gate.”
Tsunoda: “Yeah, I think bottom point is it’s just really difficult to see the orange line with this current generation. It’s really hard – it’s just almost like… I guess same for you, right? So I don’t know. That’s why. Hopefully it’ll be better next year with the visibility.”
George Russell: “I mean it is, I don’t know what’s the real truth is behind that story, I mean, I am OCD. And if I throw a piece of duct tape on the side of a nicely spray painted wall, I would probably take it off as well. So, yeah, maybe the mechanic was being totally innocent – I don’t know – maybe not. I think they are experienced enough, they don’t need gamesmanship to come out on top or get the upperhand. Yeah, maybe I am being too naïve.”
Oliver Bearman: “I don’t want to say because someone will tear off my thing but no…it is definitely something like, for example in F2 and every other category, it’s really easy to tell where your front tyre is in relation to the yellow line. But now we have so many aero devices on the car, and the car is not made for looking at the yellow line – the car is made to go around the track as fast as possible.
“And actually when we bought the upgrade on the car, a few geometry things changed, and now I can see the yellow line even less. So if the car being faster means you can see the yellow line less, then I guess McLaren, they don’t see it at all. It is just one of those things, I don’t use a reference but that’s F1, everything needs to be at the absolute limit.”
Fernando Alonso: “I don’t know. It is difficult to see the grid boxes, for sure. But I think 99% of the times you hit it naturally. But the speed approach that you go into the box, you nail it anyways. I don’t know if you have…extra references can be okay but yeah, all these Austin things, I am not totally aware. I mean, I read something on Tuesday but I don’t know the full picture, so it is okay.”
Nico Hulkenberg: “I think it’s different from car to car how easy it is to see your grid box, because it depends on the side impact structure – how high and forward it is. So yeah, it’s different for everyone. It’s not easy with this generation of cars, I think, for anyone. Personally, I don’t use a tape. I just, last moment, see it – then I just judge where I think it is. Sometimes better, sometimes worse, but haven’t overstepped it yet. But it’s a challenge with this generation of cars for sure.”
Andrea Kimi Antonelli: “Yeah, I go by visual. So I take my references in practice, and then when I arrive on the grid, I know roughly where I end up once I line up on the grid.”
Carlos Sainz: “Yeah, I’m lucky to have a very nice line of reference in my car that helps me line up. But I’ve been in cars before that don’t have this possibility, and you need the tape on the wall to align yourself with the grid slot. So it completely depends, as Nico said. But yeah, I do know if I was Red Bull, or Red Bull in principle, what I would do for someone that tried to do that. I think it’s something that Lando needs in order to align himself with the grid box, and obviously someone saw a competitive advantage by trying to take that away from him. But as I said, I’m not going to elaborate.
“You’re not going to get a headline from me here, but I know values in sport and what I would do if that was me and my team. The line of reference is just something the sidepod has. Like, I don’t know how to – it’s not an aero part – it’s just where the two mountings fix, just like a line. And I am lucky that it coincides exactly with the yellow line. I align myself to that and it’s pretty much spot on. Honestly, I don’t see any competitive advantage in that. So if you guys need it, I’ll give it to you, because I see that as basic racing stuff – basic racing fairness to go racing.”
Here’s full FIA Race Directors’ note: https://www.fia.com/system/files/decision-document/2025_mexico_city_grand_prix_-_race_directors_event_notes_.pdf
