Preparations For November’s Formula One Grand Prix In Mexico City In High Gear

Immerse yourself in the market. Understand the fan base. Rodrigo Sanchez, marketing director for the Formula One Gran Premio de Mexico, said "those are among the keys to staging a successful F1 event," according to HJ Mai of SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL.

Sanchez and his colleagues in Mexico City "are working to do just that, preparing for Mexico’s return to the F1 calendar this fall after a 23-year hiatus." Sanchez: "We have all the tools in place to have a successful event. [Mexico has] had a couple drivers in the series for a few years now, which has helped to bring a lot of momentum, and the people are excited about the sport."

One of the immediate needs upon securing the race "was work to improve the facility that would host the event." Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez "is more than 50 years old and, outside of a NASCAR Toyota Series event last June, its global race calendar has been relatively limited in recent years." German architect Hermann Tilke and his company "were retained to upgrade the track’s technological capabilities and to improve its safety features, among other enhancements."

Work on the project — an effort Sanchez said will cost $200M — "is expected to continue through the summer, leading up to race day on Nov. 1."

HIGH DEMAND: Sanchez said that tickets for the event "went on sale in March and sold out in five minutes." Early hospitality sales "have been strong as well." QuintEvents CEO Brian Learst: “Sales for Mexico City are off to a very fast start. We have already sold over 300 packages in the first week [sales began May 4], and the most exciting part is they are to people around the world."

Sanchez said that the pursuit of local sponsors "is ongoing." Related to that is "determining what the footprint of the renovated track in Mexico City will be and what signage opportunities will be available for any such sponsors." He said, "It’s a work-in-progress kind of thing." The majority of the racetrack signage will go to F1’s global partners, such as Emirates, DHL, Pirelli and UBS. JMI Senior VP of Marketing Communications Tim Bampton said that "interest among those global companies in F1 coming to Mexico is high."

He said, "We are going to be very busy in Mexico. We’ve got programs for most, if not all, of our Formula One clients." SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL