Mexico City, 16^th October 2018

The organisers of the FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE MÉXICO™ announce an action-packed, cultural celebration for the opening ceremony

• This year’s FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE MÉXICO^TM promises a cultural extravaganza guaranteed to enthrall audiences for the opening ceremony at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez on race day.

“The opening ceremony is a symbolic moment for us, it is an opportunity for us to define our significance in front of a global audience” said Managing Director of FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE MÉXICO™, Federico González Compeán. “It promises to be a fantastic celebration of our cultural wealth and heritage, while embodying Mexican spirit and representing the best of who we are as a nation.”

Opening Ceremony

The theatrical grid presentation will celebrate Mexican handicrafts and promises to be an experience like no other. The FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE MÉXICO™ Tree of Life will be at the heart of the F1^®ESTA and the Mexican mythical creatures called Alebrijes will play a leading role. These vibrant, often monstrous hybrid beasts are composed of the parts of more than one animal.

Inmediately following the Drivers’ Parade, these “monsters” will celebrate the arrival of the Tree of Life from the official race poster. This celebration will be performed by more than 250 volunteers, skaters and dancers, with giant dancing puppets called Mojigangas joining the show. These figures made of cardboard, paper and cloth were traditionally used to evoke joy during important religious ceremonies and these days feature in many Mexican weddings.

The Drivers’ Parade with cars from the Mexican Vintage Car Association

The Drivers’ Parade will be led by five cars from the classic Mexican road race “La Carrera Panamericana”. These five cars will be on display at the support paddock throughout the weekend, whilst this icon of international motorsport features as a support event to the Grand Prix. The vintage cars in the procession are part of the Mexican Vintage Car Association and have been approved by the local ASN.

Adiós Alonso

The race fans all over the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez grandstands have been invited to say goodbye to one of the sport’s greatest by wearing masks of Fernando Alonso’s face while cheering him on with a standing ovation during the Drivers’ Parade.

National Anthem sung by The Mazahua Girls’ Choir

The Mazahua Girls’ Choir of the Lázaro Cárdenas Primary School will sing the National Anthem of Mexico. The choir consists of ten girls, aged between ten and eleven years old, from the town of Ejido La Virgen, in the State of Mexico, near Mexico City. The race serves as an international platform to demonstrate the legacy of greatness, traditions and pride of indigenous peoples and customs in Mexico; over the years, choirs of indigenous children from around Mexico have had the honour of singing the anthem before the race.

Air display

The excitement will build up to a grid fly-past of nine planes from the Mexican National Ministry, accompanied by a helicopter from the Mexican Navy just moments before the lights go out to start the race at the legendary Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.

The main goal of this project is to show the world a variety of Mexican traditions and culture that they may not be familiar with. The idea for the opening ceremony was conceived eight months ago by the Local Organizing Committee and developed from the central theme of this year’s official poster.

Notes for Editors:

• The opening ceremony will take place immediately after the Drivers’ Parade on Sunday 28^th
• Number of volunteers: 210
• Number of dancers: 30
• Number of skaters: 20
• Number of props: Bus: 1 // Inflatable tree of life: 1
• Number of monumental Alebrijes: 16
• Number of costumes: 50
• Number of Mojigandas puppets: 6
• Number of rehearsals: 12 (they commenced in mid-September)

Press contacts:

About FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE MÉXICO™:

The top category of motorsport has returned to Mexico, after twenty-three years of absence, a pioneer of major sporting events in our country. With hosting rights from 2015 to 2019, the renewed Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is the scene of the return of F1ESTA to the country, with a track of the highest world standard.

In its most recent three editions (2015, 2016 and 2017), over 1 million people have witnessed the race, which – according to analysis by Formula Money – has made the Mexican GP the second with more spectators worldwide (after Great Britain).

To date, the 2015, 2016 & 2017 editions of the FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE MÉXICO™ have generated over 30 thousand jobs in the region and have achieved an economic impact of $2.2 billion USD ($39.6 billion MXN).

Mexico will once again achieve global recognition through the race, which will take place from October 26 to 28 – after the third successive year of being voted “Best Promoter of the Year” in the category by FIA and FOM, the highest authorities of professional motorsports worldwide.

For more information on the FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE MÉXICO™ visit: https://www.mexicogp.mx/

About Formula 1^®

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