The coming 2026 Mexico City EPrix will see the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez run to a slightly configuration which is set to see the need for more energy saving in the second round of the 2025-26 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
Formula E Notebook can reveal that teams were informed in mid-December that the Turn 8 chicane will be withdrawn from the usual track layout which has hosted the last three EPrixs at the high-altitude facility.
That means a straight blast from the T5-6-7 hairpin section at the foot of the track all the way to the entrance to the Foro Sol stadium section at Turn 9. The changes have been made to aid overtaking and also add further energy saving elements to the race which will remain at 36 laps run with the usual 38.5kWh of useable energy allowance.
The total distance now to be covered will be 93.80kms over the course of the race (minus any added laps) compared to last seasons 94.68kms. But with the regen capability offered by the previous Turn 8 chicane now gone, drivers and teams will now have to factor in more lift and coasting for their overall strategies.
Formula E last raced on this specific configuration of circuit in 2022 when Pascal Wehrlein scored Porsche’s first ever EPrix win and Andre Lotterer made it an easy 1-2 for the German marque.
The race saw plenty of action and overtaking at the T9 corner throughout the race which was then timed at 45 minutes and one lap.
Since that time Porsche cars have largely dominated proceedings at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodrigues with Jake Dennis taking the first ever Gen3 win in 2023, Wehrlein sealing a second win in 2024 and then last season Wehrlein again and teammate Antonio Felix da Costa looking set for another 1-2 before a late Safety Car was removed quickly allowing Oliver Rowland an opportunity to surge through and take the victory.
Despite that excitement some of those races had become quite flat with limited overtaking and static races by Formula E’s often chaotic standards. The move appears to have been made to spice up the racing.
However, the time prior to 2022, in 2020, that used the same configuration saw a sizeable accident for Daniel Abt who crashed while activating his FanBoost which then tripped his braking system, sending him in to the Turn 9 Techpro barrier at undiminished speed. The accident completely destroyed his Audi Gen2 car, while Abt was taken to hospital for exploratory tests. He recovered and raced the next day.
Teams have been preparing for the race in their simulators for the last two weeks with further work resuming after the Christmas/New Year break this Friday.
The first Free Practice session at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is scheduled to take place at 16.00 on Friday 9th January.
