The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is a 4.304 km (2.674 mi) motorsport race track in Mexico City, Mexico, named after the racing drivers Ricardo and Pedro Rodríguez. The circuit got its name shortly after it opened when Ricardo Rodríguez died in practice for the non-Championship 1962 Mexican Grand Prix.
Accommodation:
If you've never been to Mexico City before, you'll likely want to stay in the Zócalo, which is the center square of the city. (If you've seen Spectre, that's where the Day of the Dead parade goes through.) I give the highest recommendation to staying at the Best Western Hotel Majestic -- rooms on the top floor have a balcony overlooking the square, called the Plaza de la Constitución. Make sure you time your stay with the Day of the Dead, because the parade will go right outside your balcony.
I stayed at the Hotel Zocalo Central. Great central location that overlooks the Day of the Dead parade route.
Getting to the track:
An Uber ride from the Zócalo is about 15-20 minutes, half of which is spent escaping the downtown traffic. You have to go to an entrance specific to where your seats are, which cost me significant delays, as they didn't give us this information ahead of the 2015 race. If you get dropped off at the wrong spot, there's a bus circling the track, and only costs a few pesos (bus drivers only accept coins) that can get you where you need to be.
The Mexico City Metro is incredibly cheap ($5 pesos, about £0.22 per single journey). Easiest way to get around the city. About 25 minutes journey to the circuit from Zócalo.
If the race coincides with the Day of the Dead celebrations (as in 2016/17), be prepared for a delay. Hundreds of thousands of locals all travel to the Zocalo on the Saturday of the GP weekend. Getting to the track will be ok, returning to Hotels will be an issue. Expect to be crammed in to the Metro trains/stations for a significant period of time.
Seating:
Tickets are actually very expensive compared to other tracks. Like many other tracks, you won't be disappointed getting a seat in one of the grandstands at the end of the long straight, which are actually well-prices compared to some other sections. Over at Zone 6, your view of the end of the straight is slightly obstructed, so you may miss the overtakes unless they happen right at Turn 1. View from Grandstand 6.
Great atmosphere at turn 5/6/7 stadium section. Weekend Grandstand tickets were around £400 per person in 2016.
Food:
Food at the track is quite expensive, expect £15 per person for a small Dominos pizza, fries and a drink. Drinks include CocaCola and Starbucks. All food/drink ordering is done from one location in each food area, you then take your order and collect your food from each respective brand outlet. So for the above order, you have to go to four different places to pay/collect everything. Keeps queues down though.
I can highly recommend Azul Historico in the center of the city, famous for its mole.
What to avoid:
As in any mayor city stay within tourist filled zones to avoid getting mugged or something worse.
Misc:
Nightlife: The race weekend offers tremendous possibilities since it matches the day of the dead celebrations. Zocalo or a walk around Paseo de la Reforma at night on parade nights are awesome. Last year there was live music and families having a blast walking around or biking in costumes. If clubs are your thing there are lots of options in La Condesa. If you like fine dining or visiting museums there are also many options that you can easily google or just ask any local.
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