F1: 12 former IndyCar drivers in Mexico City GP support race

Saturday the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriquez circuit welcomed an array of legendary drivers for the Freightliner Legends Cup by Fibra UNO – the support race of the FORMULA 1 MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX Presented by Heineken – and Mexican driver Michel Jourdain Jr. looked unbeatable during the second session setting a fastest lap of 1:51.435.

Driving GTM car #1, Jordain dominated the Saturday session of the race that has brought together some of the biggest stars that delighted IndyCar fans during the first decade of the century and made CART one of the favorite championships in Mexico.

Behind Jordain was Luis “Chapulín” Díaz, another Mexican who won the Daytona Prototypes race at this track in 2006, with a time of 1:51.932.

Alex Tagliani from Canada, was the fastest among the international drivers with 1:52.235, ahead of Mexican Mario Dominguez, who managed a best lap time of 1:52.239 before making contact with Bruno Junqueira halfway through the session, as the Brazilian was attempting an overtake on the outside in the “esses” section of the track. Mario stood his ground on the inside and they touched, apparently without consequence.

Bruno Junqueira rounded out the top five, followed by the Canadian and fan favorite Paul Tracy. Casey Mears, Max Papis, Mark Blundell and local legend Adrián Fernández completed the top ten.

“The track is a little slick, but we were already expecting it would be like this,” said Jourdain. “It’s the same for everyone, so we need to focus on the sections where we manage a minimal advantage over the others,” he added.

On Sunday, the race that has reunited these legends will be part of the celebrations to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the first Grand Prix in Mexico City.

October 18, 2022

Former racing legends will return to the racetrack to compete head-to-head in a spectacular support race for this year’s FORMULA 1 MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX 2022 Presented by Heineken. A mix of international champions and race winners will return to the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez to take part in the Freightliner Legends Cup.

The late 1990´s and early 2000´s marked a golden era for American open-wheel racing and the IndyCar Series included the ‘world’s greatest spectacle in racing’ the famous Indianapolis 500.

The former race winners and champions returning to Mexico will drive in equally prepared 500hp V8-powered cars from the Gran Turismo México Series (GTM), capable of speeds of over 275km/h.

The full list of participants for this exciting support race over the F1ESTA weekend will be:

Adrián Fernández (Mexico)
Alex Tagliani (Canada)
Bruno Junqueira (Brazil)
Casey Mears (USA)
Luis ‘Chapulín’ Díaz (Mexico)
Mario Domínguez (Mexico)
Mark Blundell (Great Britain)
Max Papis (Italy)
Michel Jourdain Jr. (Mexico)
Oriol Servià (Spain)
Paul Tracy (Canada)
Roberto González (Mexico)

The return of so many names from the past will delight the local fans who came to watch the Indy racers when the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez hosted the Champ Car World Series between 2002 and 2007. In this year’s Freightliner Legends Cup field, Paul Tracy is the only previous winner of a Champ Car race in Mexico City, having triumphed here in 2003.

“Before hosting Formula 1 in Mexico, we used to promote the Champ Car World Series at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez and it was as big as F1 these days. Being able to reunite all these legends together for a one-time only event here in Mexico is a huge privilege for us and for the Mexican fans. We are sure the Freightliner Legends Cup will be a successful event during this year´s race,” said Federico González, General Director of the FORMULA 1 MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX 2022 Presented by Heineken. “It will be a very special event to bring together great drivers who gave us unforgettable moments in the past,” he added.

Driver Profiles:

Adrián Fernández

As a runner-up in the CART Series and a prolific Le Mans 24 Hours racer, Fernández has been one of the most successful Mexican drivers of all time. He first competed in CART in 1993 with Galles Racing and won his first victory in the category at Toronto in 1996. He was runner-up in the championship three years later by scoring points in 17 of the 20 races. Sharing a car with compatriot Luis Diaz, he won the LMP2 class of the ALMS in 2009.

Alex Tagliani

The Canadian made his debut in CART in 2000 with Forysthe Racing, the same team which he finished fourth in the Atlantic series the year before. After a long career in single-seaters, which included pole at the 2011 Indianapolis 500, Tagliani has most recently been competing in the Canadian NASCAR series.

Bruno Junqueira

A former Williams test driver, the Brazilian won Formula 3000 in 2000 and switched to CART where he became one of the rookies of the year in 2001. He was runner-up in the series in three consecutive seasons between 2002 and 2004 with Newman/Haas Racing. He raced in sportscars before retiring from professional competition in 2019.

Casey Mears

As a runner-up in Indy Lights in 1999, the American has extensive experience of NASCAR, having raced in national and Cup series for a period of 15 years. He has won the Coca-Cola 600 (in 2007) and also triumphed in the 2006 Daytona 24 Hours with Target Chip Ganassi Racing.

Luis ‘Chapulín’ Díaz

The Mexican made his name when he was a substitute for the injured Adrián Fernández in the CART Series race at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in 2002. ‘Chapulín’ started in Indy Lights and achieved his greatest successes alongside Scott Pruett in the Grand Am sportscar series.

Mario Domínguez

Nicknamed ‘Super Mario’ the Mexico shone in the world karting championship before entering Formula 3 and Formula 3000. After graduating from Indy Lights he raced in CART, taking his first win in Australia in 2002. To the delight of the local fans he famously took a podium at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in the 2003 Champ Car race.

Mark Blundell

After taking pole in the 1990 Le Mans 24 Hours, the British driver graduated to Formula 1 with Brabham in 1991 and enjoyed a lengthy career at teams including Ligier, Tyrrell and McLaren. After his F1 career he raced in CART with PacWest Racing — finishing sixth overall in 1997. He made a surprise return to touring cars in Britain in 2019.

Max Papis

The Italian has competed in several high-level motorsport categories, including the Le Mans 24 Hours, IMSA, NASCAR and Champ Car. He took three wins in Champ Car and started six Formula 1 races for Footwork in 1995.

Michel Jourdain Jr.

The Mexican driver has competed in a large number of international categories, including Champ Car, Indy Racing League, World Touring Cars, A1GP, sportscars and the World Rally Championship. He made his debut in Champ Car with Payton Coyne Racing in 2001 and took his first win in 2003 with Team Rahal.

Oriol Serviá

Spanish racer who participated in Champ Car from 2000 to 2007, and IndyCar from 2008 to 2014. With his victory in Montréal in 2005, and a total of seven podiums, he was crowned runner-up in Champ Car that season. He has also participated in the all-electric Formula E series.

Paul Tracy

The Canadian was a winner at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in the 2003 round of the Champ Car World Series. With a career spanning 30 years he raced in CART, IndyCar and the Daytona 24 Hours. Since 2014 he has been a TV commentator on NBC’s IndyCar coverage.

Roberto González

The Mexican began his international career in European Formula Chrysler in 2001 and jumped to World Series by Nissan in 2002. His arrival in CART was in 2003 but his greatest success came in endurance series including the American Le Mans Series and WEC.