Mexico City Grand Prix 2026: Formula 1 on the Día de Muertos Weekend

The Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix, which the promoter calls the Mexico GP, runs at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez on 30 October to 1 November 2026, the weekend after Austin. It is Round 19 of 23 and has no sprint. The race starts at 14:00 local time on Sunday 1 November, which is 20:00 UTC, 20:00 in the UK and 21:00 in Central Europe. At about 2,200 m above sea level, this is the highest circuit on the calendar. It also falls on the Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) weekend, and the city's parade starts an hour before qualifying. Our United States Grand Prix guide covers the Austin leg.

Formula 1 in Mexico City: session times and the circuit

Times are Mexico City time, UTC-6 with no daylight saving, as on Formula 1's Mexico City Grand Prix page, with UTC in brackets.

• Friday 30 October: Practice 1 at 12:30 (18:30), Practice 2 at 16:00 (22:00)
• Saturday 31 October: Practice 3 at 11:30 (17:30), Qualifying at 15:00 (21:00)
• Sunday 1 November: Grand Prix at 14:00 (20:00)

The promoter says gates open at about 08:00 on all three days, subject to change.

The race is 71 laps of the 4.304 km, 17-corner circuit. The final section of the lap winds through a former baseball stadium, the old Foro Sol, now Estadio GNP Seguros, where F1 says about 40,000 fans fill the stands.

Día de Muertos and the Grand Prix: the Saturday clash

The city's Gran Desfile de Día de Muertos starts at 14:00 on Saturday 31 October and follows Paseo de la Reforma to the Zócalo. The city has not named the start point yet, so watch its Día de Muertos programme. Qualifying runs from 15:00 to 16:00, so nobody can see both.

• Parade first: watch Practice 3, which ends at 12:30, and leave for the parade, but with no re-entry you miss qualifying.
• Qualifying first: the Zócalo's Ofrenda Monumental stands from 29 October to 2 November, and the square is lit until 4 November. Reforma has the cempasúchil flower festival until 1 November and the "El Camino" lights until 8 November. The city lists dates but not hours, so aim for an evening from Thursday to Sunday, and note that Saturday's parade ends at the Zócalo.
• Monday 2 November: both the ofrenda and the celebrations in San Andrés Mixquic, which the promoter recommends, run for a last day.

Tickets: the official seller and what is not sold out

General tickets are sold only through Ticketmaster México, and the Formula 1 store sells only hospitality for this race. The site mexico.gp is run by TicketsGP s.r.o. of Brno, and its own footer says it "is unofficial and is not associated in any way with the Formula 1 companies". The promoter's terms ban resale.

At the time of writing, the promoter's ticket page marked Grada 2, 2A, 3A, 4, 6, 6B, 9 and 12, both accessible zones, Boxes Oro Norte and every Grand Tour package sold out. These stands still had a buy button:

Zone	What it sees	Stands with a buy button (MXN)	From (MXN)
Verde	Start, pit stops and finish	Grada 1	30,500
Azul	Turns 1 to 3	Grada 5 (15,000), 5A (13,900), 6A (7,000)	7,000
Rosa	Back straight	Grada 8	10,500
Amarilla	Turn 4 braking zone, per Grada 7's listing	Grada 7 (13,900), 10 (19,900), 11 (18,300)	13,900
Gris	Stadium section	Grada 14 Sur (10,000), Boxes Oro Sur (25,000)	10,000
Café	Stadium section and podium	Grada 15 Norte	10,000

The promoter's ticket page does not group stands by zone, so the zones here follow press lists. Prices carry the note "Precios + Cargos por servicio", so an unpublished service charge comes on top. On the promoter's page, the second figure beside each stand is a separate, non-refundable right to buy the same seat for 2027 and 2028, not a fee.

Grandstand tickets cover all three days in one seat, with no child price, and children aged 4 and over need one. Tickets are digital SafeTix in the MexicoGP Account Manager, and screenshots will not scan. A transfer in Mis Boletos completes only when the recipient accepts by email. Only cancellation or postponement brings a refund, and the terms have no rain clause.

At the gate: bags, cameras and no re-entry

There is no re-entry. The promoter's access page lists the gate for each colour zone, and its security rules allow:

• bags and backpacks up to 10x15x30 cm, preferably clear plastic, or small handbags and belt bags up to 11x16 cm
• cameras, with professional lenses up to 300 mm and two lenses at most
• small round-tipped umbrellas
• sunscreen in containers of up to 100 ml, and power banks for phones

Outside food and drink (baby food aside), glass, cans, selfie sticks, tripods, drones, cushions, chairs and blankets stay out, so bring a warm layer.

Getting there: the airport, the Metro and the circuit

Metrobús Line 4 runs from both AICM terminals to the Historic Centre for MXN 30, paid with the city's MI card or a contactless bank card, never cash. Metro Line 5 costs MXN 5 but is not advised with heavy luggage. Taxis are prepaid at counters inside the terminals, and AICM lists the authorised taxi companies. AICM says ride-hailing apps such as Uber and DiDi are not authorised to operate inside the airport zone, and the city's tourism site puts their pickup points on the roads outside. From Felipe Ángeles (AIFA), the airport train takes about an hour to Buenavista, and its promotional fares ended on 9 October 2026.

Metro Line 9 stops at Velódromo, Ciudad Deportiva and Puebla, which the promoter says are a short walk from the gates. Free promoter buses link the gates from 07:00 to 20:00. The Ticket2Ride shuttle, listed by the promoter, leaves at 08:00 from bases including Condesa and Santa Fe, for MXN 350 a day or MXN 945 for three days. Formula 1's fan guide says there is no parking at the circuit, and after the race the promoter suggests walking a few streets away before booking a car.

The city's 2026 race-weekend transport plan, with any closures or early Metro opening, was unpublished at the time of writing, so check the promoter's site and the Metro's channels in race week.

Entering Mexico: who needs a visa

According to INM, Mexico's migration institute, tourists from the EU, the UK, the US, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Australia and the UAE need no visa for stays of up to 180 days. Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iran, Egypt, India, China and Brazil are on its visa list, but a valid US, Canadian, UK, Japanese or Schengen visa, or permanent residence there, replaces the Mexican one. Since 5 February 2026, Brazilians can also apply online for a 10 USD electronic visa for arrival by air, and Russian and Turkish citizens flying in can use a free online electronic authorisation.

Air arrivals get a passport stamp instead of the paper FMM tourist card, and can download a digital FMM. UK travel advice says tourists aged 18 or over can use e-gates at some of Mexico's main airports, and must show the printed e-gate ticket when they leave. Cash above 10,000 USD must be declared. Check your case on INM's visa page.

Weather, altitude and the basics

Long-term averages for October and November are about 22 °C by day and 8 to 10 °C at night, with more rain in October than in November. At about 2,200 m, the city's tourism office advises drinking plenty of water, avoiding alcohol and strenuous activity, and resting if you feel short of breath or tired.

Pay in Mexican pesos (MXN). The city's tourism office suggests carrying a card and only the day's cash, and UK travel advice suggests using ATMs inside shops or malls in daylight. Sockets take the flat-pin plugs used in the US and Canada, and CFE's standard sets household supply at 127 V. Drink only bottled or boiled water. UK advice does not warn against travel to Mexico City, but notes that pickpocketing is common on public transport.

Staying connected over the Formula 1 weekend: why a Donesim eSIM fits

Your phone holds the SafeTix ticket, the Metro map and the parade route, and it books the ride-hail home. The promoter publishes nothing on Wi-Fi or mobile coverage at the circuit. Milenio reported free Wi-Fi in both AICM terminals. AICM's directory lists Telcel stores in both terminals and a Movistar store in Terminal 1.

Since 9 January 2026, every SIM or eSIM sold in Mexico works only for emergency numbers until it is linked to its holder, which visitors do with a passport. Telcel's tourist eSIM page also describes a camera liveness check. AT&T México prepaid costs MXN 100 for 2 GB over 14 days or MXN 200 for 4 GB over 30 days, and Movistar's MXN 100 recharge card shows 2 GB for 14 days. Activation takes a first recharge of at least MXN 50 on AT&T and MXN 60 on Movistar.

US fans may already be covered, since Verizon and AT&T include Mexico on eligible plans and T-Mobile's support pages say most postpaid plans do. Speeds and allowances differ by carrier, so check your plan. Other home plans charge by the day:

• UK: 6 GBP on EE, 8 GBP on Vodafone without Global Roam
• Germany: 9.99 EUR per German calendar day (500 MB) on Vodafone's ReisePaket World, and German midnight is 17:00 in Mexico City
• Australia: 10 AUD on Telstra
• Turkey: 600 TL on Turkcell

A Donesim plan is bought and installed at home, so data is ready when you turn on roaming after landing, with no counter to find. The checkout asks for an email address, not a passport, and your own SIM and number stay in the phone. If your home plan receives texts abroad, bank and ticket codes can still reach you.

A travel eSIM keeps the phone on roaming. In May, ahead of the World Cup, Mexico's telecoms regulator, the CRT, said visitors using international roaming during the tournament would not have to register their line, as Mobile Time reported. No official page published since then asks a short-stay visitor on roaming to register. The CRT's note of 6 October, which does not mention visitors, says foreign eSIMs are no substitute for a national line and that international agreements prohibit permanent roaming, so operators suspend prolonged use. A race weekend is nowhere near that.

At the time of writing, 3 GB for 15 days costs 8.53 USD, about one day of UK roaming, and 5 GB for 30 days costs 14.23 USD. You can also see every Mexico plan. Donesim's Mexico page lists Telcel, AT&T, Altán and Movistar among its networks. The plan is data only, with no Mexican number, but WhatsApp keeps your usual number while its messages and calls use the eSIM's data. It cannot currently be renewed or extended in place, so choose the size before you buy.

Set up your eSIM before you fly

1. Check that your phone is on our compatibility list and not locked to a carrier.
2. Buy and install the eSIM on home Wi-Fi a day or two before you fly, not weeks ahead, since Donesim notes that a plan "may begin when it is provisioned, installed, activated, or first connected". Our install walkthrough shows how.
3. Open your SafeTix ticket in the MexicoGP Account Manager and add it to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet.
4. Save the parade route, a Metro map and your gate offline.
5. After landing, turn on data roaming for the eSIM line only, and keep your home line for texted codes.
6. Charge the phone and pack a power bank.

Formula 1 moves on to São Paulo on 6 to 8 November, and fans doing both races can see our Brazil eSIM plans.

Frequently asked questions

What time is the Mexico City Grand Prix in my time zone?

Lights out is at 20:00 UTC, and the "My time" option on Formula 1's race page shows every session in your own time zone. F1's slot runs to 16:00 local, for 71 laps or 120 minutes.

Is the Mexico GP a sprint weekend?

No. The 2026 sprint weekends were Shanghai, Miami, Montreal, Silverstone, Zandvoort and Singapore.

When is the Día de Muertos parade, and can I see it and qualifying?

Not both. The parade leaves at 14:00 on Saturday 31 October, the afternoon of qualifying. At the circuit, the promoter lists its own Altar de Muertos in the Zona Azul, open from 09:00 to 17:00.

Do I need a visa for Mexico?

Only if your country is on INM's visa list, such as India, China or Egypt, and even then a valid US, Canadian, UK, Japanese or Schengen visa can replace it. Turkish, Russian and Brazilian travellers flying in can also apply online. Passports must be valid for the whole stay.