Earlier this year, Richard from Guatemala travelled to Mexico City for the third edition of the Mexico ePrix, which was held at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, home of the Mexican Grand Prix. Here’s his report!
I’m a big fan of Formula E, so I decided to experience electric motorsport live at the Mexico ePrix earlier this year. Mexico City is also easy to get to from my home in Guatemala. The regular direct flights only take around 90 minutes and my ticket cost around $230 USD return. I left Guatemala around 4pm on Thursday and returned at 9pm on Sunday after the race, so I had the whole weekend to explore Mexico City. My first impressions of Mexico City were positive. It’s a huge city of 23 million people, so it has something to offer everyone, including history, interesting attractions and awesome food.
Getting Around
Getting to the circuit is very easy, as it’s located in the suburbs of the city. For me, Uber was the safest and quickest way to get around in Mexico City. I paid around $8 USD to travel from my downtown hotel to the circuit. The city is full of Uber drivers, so you never have to wait for long. The drivers are friendly, and some even speak English. I had some good chats with the drivers and got plenty of good advice about places to go and things to do in the city!
Cheap Tickets & Stadium Atmosphere
The race tickets were really cheap, so I decided to buy tickets for two different grandstands! My ticket in the Main Grandstand in front of the pits cost around $5 USD and my ticket in the Foro Sol stadium section was around $3. If only Formula 1 events were so cheap! I watch the practice sessions from the Main Grandstand, but I knew that I wanted to watch qualifying, super pole and the race itself from Foro Sol.
The Foro Sol stadium was almost full and the atmosphere was amazing, especially when everyone was doing the Mexican wave! The Formula E track is also slightly different from the Formula 1 track, so you get to see a few more corners when you are watching in Foro Sol. There was also a giant screen to watch the action. I recommend buying in the South section because it gets the shade in the late afternoon.
On-Track Action & E-Village
The action in the race was excellent. There was plenty of overtaking and nice battles with plenty of ex-Formula 1 drivers taking part. I even liked the electric sound and the high-pitched squeal from the tires! Even though I’m a big F1 fan, I don’t think it’s fair to compare Formula E to Formula 1; it’s a different series and you should just enjoy it for what it is.
The e-Village at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez was located behind the pits. It was seriously impressive, with food and drinks, two huge stages, electric car displays from all the big car companies and other sponsor stands. It was always busy with lots of fans, especially families, and had a great atmosphere.
Away from the Track
Mexico City has lots to keep you busy away from the track. Aside from the museums and parks, I really recommend you sample as much of the food as you can! You don’t have to go to fancy restaurants. Even the street food is incredible! You can’t go wrong starting with the basic “tacos al pastor” from the El Tizoncito chain. There’s some great restaurants around Polanco, especially in the “Polanquito” neighborhood. I recommend “Colonia Roma,” which is a market where you can try lots of different dishes. A word of warning however. The Mexicans love spicy food, so be careful with the hot sauce if you are not used to it!
The Final Word
I spent around $900 for everything in my trip, including some Formula E merchandise. I definitely recommend visiting this race and visiting Mexico City. The race was a great spectacle and Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez has a real Latin ambience and great atmosphere courtesy of the passionate local fans who take their motorsport very seriously.