Pre Race
After a couple of tough races, Nico Hulkenberg was back in the points at last week’s Grand Prix in Austin. The German is now fully motivated to build on that momentum as round 20 of the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship takes place in Mexico City this weekend – the second and final leg of the Americas double header.
“It was good to make it back in the points in Austin, and I’m feeling positive heading into Mexico this week. This race is something special, a proper old-school track which is fun to drive and surrounded by such a passionate crowd. After a good result last weekend, our goal is to keep the momentum going,” says Nico Hulkenberg.
The Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber driver faces the unique challenge of racing at high altitude in front of the electric Mexican crowd – at one of the most vibrant and demanding venues on the calendar.
“The altitude here can be challenging and influence the way the car behaves, but if we stay focused and keep on executing at our best, we can have another strong weekend here,” the German adds.
The first two practice sessions take place on Friday afternoon local time, followed by another practice and Qualifying on Saturday. Sunday’s 71-lap Mexico Grand Prix gets underway at 14:00 local time (GMT -6).
Mexican GP Facts:
- 2025 marks ten years since Formula 1 returned to the 4.3-kilometre, safety-enhanced Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City. The comeback race in 2015 was the first since 1992.
- The fans are spectacular! With its packed and famous stadium section just a few corners before the start-finish line, the Mexican Grand Prix is one of the few races where the noise from the grandstands can actually overpower the roar of the engines…
- The local hero, Sergio Pérez, made history in the 2021 race by becoming the first Mexican driver to stand on the podium on home soil.
Wanna follow live? Watch all sessions on the official Formula 1 App.
Qualifying
All set for battle!
Update from the Mexico City Grand Prix, where Nico Hulkenberg will start Sunday’s 71-lap Formula 1 race from 13th on the grid. The German driver was knocked out in Q2 after an extremely close qualifying session at the Mexican circuit.
“I’m not super happy with how qualifying went, as we thought there was a bit more potential after the pace we showed in practice. It felt like we were close to the limit but just couldn’t quite extract the extra couple of tenths needed for Q3. The laps were clean and consistent, but the pace just wasn’t quite there. Still, we’re in the mix and tomorrow’s race is another opportunity. The field is very tight, so we’ll look carefully at our strategy options and give it everything to come away with a strong result,” said Nico Hulkenberg.
Everything is ready for today’s race! Let’s cheer for the green Sauber #27 when the lights go out at 14:00 local time (GMT -6).
Race Day
“A tough one to take”
Well… That was not what we had hoped for. Nico Hulkenberg’s Mexico City Grand Prix was over before it even began, as the German’s Sauber suffered a power issue during the formation lap at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. Despite the team’s efforts to fix the problem and Nico’s valiant attempts to drive around it, the issue caused a significant loss of performance. To avoid further reliability concerns, the car was eventually retired from the race.
“It’s obviously a very tough one to take today. We had power issues right from the formation lap, which basically ended our race before it even began. It’s frustrating for everyone in the team because we know the pace was there to fight for something decent. Overall, a disappointing weekend, but we’ll work hard to understand what went wrong and fight back in Brazil,” said Nico Hulkenberg.
As teammate Gabriel Bortoletto managed to bring home a point, the weekend wasn’t a total loss for the Swiss team, who’ll get another chance in two weeks when the Brazilian Grand Prix kicks off in São Paulo. Better get ready for that!
📸 Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber
