The Mexican Grand Prix has produced some remarkable moments during its long and sometimes interrupted place in F1 history, with world championships decided, unlikely winners emerging and the fearsome old Peraltada providing the setting for one of the sport’s great overtakes.
Ahead of Formula 1’s latest visit to the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, we look back at five memorable Mexican Grands Prix.
1964 – Surtees snatches the title
Three drivers arrived at the 1964 season finale capable of becoming world champion, but for much of the afternoon it appeared Jim Clark would pull off an unlikely title triumph.
Clark dominated from pole and led virtually throughout, only for his Lotus engine to fail on the final lap. Dan Gurney inherited victory, while Ferrari suddenly realised John Surtees could take the championship.
Team-mate Lorenzo Bandini moved aside to give Surtees second place and the points he needed to beat Graham Hill to the title, making Surtees the first – and still the only – world champion on both two and four wheels.
1986 – Berger wins without stopping
Mexico returned to the calendar in 1986 after a 16-year absence and immediately delivered an upset as Gerhard Berger claimed his maiden Grand Prix victory and the first F1 win for Benetton.
Berger started fourth but found himself with a significant advantage as the race developed. While his rivals struggled with tyre wear and made pit stops, the Austrian’s Pirellis lasted the full distance.
He completed all 68 laps without stopping and finished more than 25 seconds ahead of Alain Prost, with Ayrton Senna third.
1990 – Mansell takes on the Peraltada
Alain Prost produced one of his finest recovery drives in 1990, winning for Ferrari after starting 13th, but it was team-mate Nigel Mansell who supplied the race’s defining image.
With Ayrton Senna’s late tyre failure removing him from contention, Mansell and Gerhard Berger fought over second place. Berger briefly moved ahead, only for Mansell to attack around the outside of the daunting Peraltada.
Passing around the fast, banked right-hander appeared almost unthinkable, but Mansell made the move stick to complete a Ferrari one-two behind Prost.
2017 – Hamilton joins the greats
Lewis Hamilton arrived in Mexico on the brink of his fourth world championship, but his race began with drama as Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen and Hamilton fought for position on the opening lap.
Contact left Hamilton needing to pit and dropped him to the back of the field, but he recovered to ninth. With title rival Vettel finishing only fourth, that was enough for the Mercedes driver to secure the championship with two races remaining. Up front, Verstappen was untouchable and won by almost 20 seconds.
2021 – Perez makes history at home
Verstappen produced a spectacular start in 2021, sweeping around the outside of Mercedes pair Valtteri Bottas and Hamilton into Turn One before controlling the race.
The biggest reaction, however, was reserved for Sergio Perez. The Red Bull driver pressured Hamilton during the closing laps before finishing third, becoming the first Mexican to stand on the podium at his home F1 race.
The celebrations inside the stadium section provided one of the enduring images of Perez’s career and another memorable chapter in Mexico City’s Formula 1 story.
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