Mexico to Host Final F1 GP in 2019?

In a piece of unfortunate news, the Mexican GP organisers have missed the initial deadline to to retain its slot on the F1 calendar.

As a result, they are now scrambling to negotiate with the FIA. Their current contract is set to expire at the end of the 2019 season and they are yet to renew it.

However, it many look unlikely as the Mexican President has suggested that funding for the event could be cut ad redirected elsewhere. The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit organisers are hosting talks with F1’s commercial rights holder, Liberty Media.

In addition to that, they are also negotiating with local authorities in hopes of of finding viable alternatives

According to a statement released by the authorities, “After the deadline to keep the date of the one that has been enjoyed by the Formula 1 Gran Premio de Mexico, we announce that the organisation of the event has lost the perennial right to keep that date within the 2020 championship, notwithstanding the negotiations with both F1 and the authorities of our country [which] continue with the best spirit of finding viable alternatives for the remainder of this competition in Mexico.”

Formula One’s sole Mexican driver, Sergio Perez expressed his concern for the venue’s plight. He is afraid that his home country may be forced to wait up to “50 years to host an F1 race” if the situation arose that Mexico was no longer on the F1 calendar.

After being a long-time presence back in the day, it finally returned to the F1 calendar. The last race at the circuit, before its revival in 2015, was in 1992, with Nigel Mansell triumphing.

Since its return to Formula One, Mercedes and Red Bull have had two wins each, in 2015-16 and 2017-18 respectively.

Hopefully, for the sake of the fans and of Formula One, the organisers sort things out quickly as it would be a crying shame to lose the circuit after a 23-year absence.