Formula E Preview: Mexico City
- Vyas Ponnuri
- Jan 9
- 8 min read
Written by Vyas Ponnuri
After an exciting and attritious season opener in São Paulo that threw up more surprises than you’d have expected, the mantle now shifts upwards in the Americas. Mexico City becomes the next venue to be in the spotlight, with a new layout, a landmark for the series and a highly competitive Formula E grid expected to put on a show!
Formula E’s development has almost mirrored the evolution of electric vehicles, which have gone from being a far-fetched concept to a commonality all around the world. What is all the more impressive is the time frame within which it was made possible — a decade. Carmakers have been declaring their intentions to go in with an all-electric line-up in the future — look no further than the likes of Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar or even BMW.
Even Ferrari, a company devoted towards producing cars bearing the iconic, roaring V8s and V12s under the hood, has made the transition, set to release its first-ever electric SUV later in 2026.
Formula E, in its initial sense, remained largely a concept until the first edition got underway in September 2014. The first iteration of the Gen1 Formula E car has very little resemblance to the current Gen3 Evo machine. From drivers requiring to swap cars to finish a race to having the fastest accelerating single-seaters on the planet, it’s no secret to recollect and remember just how far Formula E has come in a decade.
The bigger fact is how the evolution has occurred in almost a tiny fraction of the time span as compared to several motorsport series, with this weekend’s Mexico City E-Prix being only the 150th Formula E race. A significant landmark in the history of this relatively modern championship, indeed.
And the Mexico City E-Prix serves as the perfect launchpad for Formula E’s next chapter. An event that has become a staple on the Formula E calendar, the Mexico City E-Prix thrives off a sellout crowd, most of whom throng the Foro Sol stadium in numbers. It’s also no secret to see the interest streaming in off the racetrack, with the 2025 edition fetching a cumulative attendance of over 10.5 million on CBS, only surpassed by one American Formula One race.
You could expect an even larger audience to tune in to the weekend in 2026, in what is touted to be one of the closest Formula E seasons ever witnessed. The hype will always remain strong, and more so on the back of an exciting São Paulo E-Prix weekend, which left many scratching their heads and ruing missed opportunities, while a former champion laid down his ambitions for the year with a big opening win.
With the next four Formula E weekends taking place at the same venues as Formula One race weekends of the past and the present (Mexico City, Miami, Jeddah, and Jarama), it remains to be seen if this aspect of familiarity will also be key in drawing more viewers to the sport.
While Mexico’s Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez has never been far from providing a good race for viewers, it hasn’t always been the easiest track for overtaking. Reverting to the pre-Gen3 track layout that eliminated the chicane of Turns 8,9, and 10 could potentially change this notion, especially looking at the sheer speed and greater drivability of the Gen3 Evo Formula E cars.
A familiar venue, a landmark for the championship, and plenty to look ahead to, then, as Formula E heads into the Mexican carnival with the familiar gusto and desire to provide a memorable weekend for the passionate home crowd.
Championship standings heading into the Mexico City E-Prix weekend
Drivers’ standings
Jake Dennis (Andretti) - 25 points
Oliver Rowland (Nissan) - 19 points
Nick Cassidy (Citroën Racing) - 15 points
Pascal Wehrlein (Porsche) - 15 points
Nico Müller (Porsche) - 10 points
Constructors’ standings
Andretti - 25 points
Porsche - 25 points
Nissan - 19 points
Citroën Racing - 15 points
Envision Racing - 10 points
The racetrack for the weekend
If you’ve been a Formula E fan before the Gen3 era began in Season 9, this layout should be a familiar sight. Yes, it’s a return to the old for Formula E, in a bid to improve overtaking opportunities at the venue and make for a greater spectacle.
The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is also home to Formula One’s Mexico City Grand Prix, but the differences in track layouts couldn’t be any more striking. The 2.606 km (1.6 mi) layout only shares a portion of the main straight, and the run into the Foro Sol stadium with its counterpart.
The elimination of the chicane consisting of Turns 8, 9 and 10 from last year’s track layout opens up a straight all the way up to the right-hander heading into the stadium section, The change in track layout will now put the new Turn 9 in the spotlight, with drivers looking to potentially make a move into the stadium section, or atleast attempt to get alongside the driver in front.
Qualifying would also prove to be interesting, with drivers taking the corner at a much higher speed and not leaving any time on the table, chasing the optimal lap time.
Previously, a driver may have given themselves a chance of defending position heading into the chicane, even if they did not get the best exit off Turn 6. However, with a free-flowing run and a longer straight, the onus is on drivers to ensure they get off the hairpin smoothly, to avoid becoming a sitting duck onto the newest straight.
Several elements of the circuit remain unchanged, though, including the attack mode activation zone at Turn 12. However, with drivers now not required to take the full complement of eight minutes of extra power, it will be interesting to see how they play it out on race day.
As always, Turns 5 and 6 will remain an important hotspot for racing action. It could potentially see incidents during the race, due to the tight nature of the corner (look no further than Sam Bird and Edoardo Mortara in 2025). Turn 1 offers up an overtaking spot to a driver who gets a strong exit off the winding Turn 16, onto the main straight.
Timings for the Mexico City E-Prix (GMT)
FP1 - Friday, 9 January 16:00 - 16:55 local (22:00 - 22:55 GMT)
FP2 - Saturday, 10 January - 07:30 - 08:25 local (13:30 - 14:25 GMT)
Qualifying - Saturday, 10 January - 9:40 - 10:48 local (15:40 - 16:48 GMT)
Race (36 laps) - Saturday, 10 January - 14:05 - 15:00 local (20:05 - 21:00 GMT)
Past races at Mexico City
Well, you don’t have to look too deep to find out the dominant team in Mexico City. Reigning constructors’ champions Porsche have won two of the past four Mexico City E-Prix, with a Porsche-powered Andretti sandwiching the success of the works team via Jake Dennis.
The German manufacturer have also taken four out of the last five pole positions at the circuit, with Wehrlein the major factor in the team’s success at the venue. The Season 10 champion also took pole back in Season 5, racing for Mahindra, but fell short of winning in one of Formula E’s most sensational finishes to date.
The honours went to Lucas di Grassi on that day, who still remains joint highest on the winners' board in Mexico City. The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is also the site of di Grassi’s last pole position, which came for Mahindra in the opening race of Season 9. While getting back there would be lofty even for the Lola outfit, they would be banking on di Grassi’s experience and success to get as high up the grid as possible.
Jaguar has also experienced success at the venue, with Mitch Evans taking victory at the venue in Season 6. Two Jaguar-powered cars also finished on the podium in 2024, with Envision Racing’s Sébastien Buemi and Jaguar’s Nick Cassidy ending up on the podium in that year.
You simply cannot go into this weekend without remembering the last time Formula E took to Mexico City. Nissan’s Oliver Rowland capitalised on having attack mode right at the end when his fellow competitors had used up theirs, passing Dennis, da Costa and Wehrlein with ease to take a special victory.
It was a race weekend that rejuvenated title hopes after missing out in the previous event in São Paulo, and the first in a long list of successes in 2025 for the Briton. Coming in as the reigning champion, Rowland will be looking to become the first driver to win back-to-back races in Mexico City.
There’s also the small matter of the driver winning in Mexico also going on to collect the world championship at the end of every season in the Gen3 era, and it will certainly be interesting to see if this continues into 2026 as well.
Drivers to watch out for
Pascal Wehrlein: If there ever was a marker to measure success at a particular venue, Wehrlein would take the spotlight for Mexico City. The German certainly knows a thing or two about winning at the venue, having won two races and taken four poles, including at the last two Mexico City E-Prix. Wehrlein’s hunger to win a second Formula E title remains, and winning Mexico once again would reassure him, heading into the heart of the season.
Oliver Rowland: The Season 11 champion comes into Mexico City as the most recent winner at the venue. Having picked up a podium to kick off Season 12 in São Paulo, Rowland and Nissan would certainly come into Mexico City, hoping to end up on the top step of the podium once again.
Pepe Martí: Heading into Season 12, Martí was the only driver yet to make his official Formula E debut, with São Paulo marking his first Formula E race start. The Spanish driver was running up in the top 10 until a scary mid-race flip took away any hopes of points. While Martí was fortunate to make it out unscathed, he will be heading into Mexico City with hopes of scoring points and running close to Dan Ticktum.
Dan Ticktum: Speaking of Ticktum, São Paulo marked a classic case of ‘what could have been’ for the one-time race winner. Promoted to the front row of the grid after Wehrlein’s grid penalty, it marked a stellar opportunity for Ticktum to start Season 12 with a big result. Instead, his race unravelled right at the first corner, when Mahindra’s Nyck de Vries charged into Turn 1, clipping Ticktum in the opening sector, and ending any hopes of the Briton finishing on the podium. The Cupra Kiro man will be looking to stay out of trouble and capitalise on the Porsche powertrain’s prowess around Mexico for his first points of the year.
Nyck de Vries, Edoardo Mortara: Coming out of pre-season testing, all the talk was about Mahindra setting the timesheets alight and marking a season of big success in the waiting. However, despite both drivers qualifying high up in the top five at São Paulo, all hopes of a big result ended in Turn 1 on Lap 1. De Vries made contact with teammate Mortara and Ticktum, causing Mortara to go off track as well, in avoidance. De Vries salvaged two points from a chaotic race that also saw teammate Mortara retire after a collision. The Indian manufacturer will be itching to make up for their misses in the season opener
How to watch the Mexico City E-Prix
You can watch the Mexico City E-Prix live this weekend. Here’s the link to find out how to watch the race live:
Predictions for the race
It’s been a Porsche stronghold in the past, but I think it’s worth going off the beaten path for predictions this weekend.
I’d predict Wehrlein to get on pole once again, but he won’t win the race. This honour will go to Edoardo Mortara, who reinstates Mahindra’s hopes for 2026 after the disappointment in São Paulo. Wehrlein, though, will end on the podium, ahead of former teammate António Félix da Costa.
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