Mexico City doesn’t just host a Grand Prix weekend; it turns it into a full-blown fiesta. The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez pulses like the heart of the city itself, with a mix of roaring engines, mariachi trumpets and the unmistakable scent of street tacos drifting through the grandstands. Fans arrive in masks, flags and sequins, and somehow, it all makes perfect sense.
The race delivered the drama with Lando Norris taking the win and a one-point lead in the Drivers’ Championship battle, but there are plenty of off-track stories that stole our attention over the duration of the weekend. These are the unfiltered moments, the humour, the chaos and the colour that solidify its glittering reputation as one of the loudest and most exciting weekends on the calendar. Here are six off-track gems that may have slipped under your radar at the 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix.
Senor Russell in the stands
George Russell might have pulled off the stealthiest stunt of the weekend. On Friday, nine drivers sat out FP1 due to the rookie sessions taking place, but they all remained locked-in to the action from their team garages. Well… almost all of them.
Whilst TV cameras panned to the drivers with headsets on and chatting with engineers, one driver was missing from their garage. Never being one to stick to the status quo, it was later revealed on Mercedes social media that George wanted a slightly different viewpoint of the session.
The Brit threw on a silver-and-green lucha libre mask and slipped into the crowd to watch the session unfold from the grandstands. Surrounded by fans and completely unnoticed, he filmed clips, cheered along and soaked up the chaos like any other spectator, even pointing out when Fred Vesti drove through the stadium in his W16, “That’s my car, he’s in my car!”.
A family affair for Ollie’s emotional celebrations
Ollie Bearman’s drive in Mexico City was really special. Starting ninth, the 20-year-old carved his way through the pack to finish fourth – equalling Haas’ best ever finish and beating his own best result of sixth.
Ollie’s dad David has been a star of the paddock since the young Brit made his F1 debut in Saudi Arabia, filling in for Carlos Sainz at Ferrari in 2023. When Ollie’s dad joins his son at races, his unfiltered reactions and excitement of his son’s on-track battles and overtakes have become a fan-favourite. In Mexico City, it was clear his dad was impressed by his son, as Ollie produced some of his best overtakes, even coming out on top of a mid-race battle with four-time World Champion Max Verstappen!
After the chequered flag fell and the hard work was over, the celebrations were something to behold… and right in the middle of it all was Bearman’s dad – leaping around the garage and hugging anyone within arm’s reach. His reaction, equal parts disbelief and pride, was pure gold for every camera that caught it.
As the celebrations rampled up, Ollie leapt into the arms of the mechanics, hugged members of the team, high-fived fans, and took selfies with anyone close by. This heartwarming celebration hit maximum cuteness overload when Ollie’s girlfriend, an emotional Alicia Torriani, ran straight into his arms, and the two shared a private word in the midst of all the chaos around them.
Safe to say Ollie won’t be forgetting this race weekend in a hurry!
Honda’s historic moment
Yuki Tsunoda paid tribute to one of F1’s important milestones with a fitting nod to history in Mexico City. Ahead of Sunday’s race, the Red Bull driver took to the circuit in Honda’s iconic RA272 – the car that claimed the company’s first Grand Prix victory at this very track back in 1965.
As a Japanese driver racing for a Honda-powered team, Tsunoda was the perfect person to bring that chapter back to life. The machine glided down the straight with its sharp, high-pitched V12 engine cutting through the skinny air, an audible reminder of how far the sport has come in 60 years – a pure-goosebumps moment for everyone there.
Nando Libre
Fernando Alonso might take his racing seriously, but his sense of humour has always been top notch. Also jumping on the masked trend sweeping the weekend, the Spaniard appeared in the pit lane wearing a custom Aston Martin wrestling mask complete with a flip-down visor that completely hid his face. Wandering round the garage in his disguise, “Nando Libre” went unrecognised by even some of his crew.
Once his identity was revealed, the prank had everyone cracking up and brought a little joy to the usual pre-race tensions within the garages. He went on to test out the mask with the other drivers ahead of the drivers’ parade, who couldn’t stop laughing as Alonso played it deadpan behind the mask. George Russell even stopped to take a selfie with him – a lucha libre crossover between the two friends, who clearly have a similar sense of humour…!
Hadjar showing us his moves
The drivers parade clearly provided a bunch of top-notch fun in Mexico City! During the parade preparations, performers filled the grid and music echoed through the stadium, and one rookie let his intrusive thoughts win…
As the dancers performed at the side of the circuit, Isack Hadjar delayed preparing for the parade and instead had a bit of a boogie. A little out of time, but the effort was certainly there! No awards won, but no doubt the Racing Bulls driver knows how to have a good time.
Evander Holyfield waves the flag
There was another kind of champion trackside in Mexico City. Former heavyweight boxing great, Evander Holyfield swapped his gloves for a headset as he toured the paddock, stopping by the Racing Bulls garage to give an inspiring pre-race pep talk, no doubt.
He capped off his visit to the autodromo by heading to the beginning of the main straight to wave the chequered flag – a fitting way to finish his busy day for a man who’s no stranger to dramatic endings!
He wasn’t the only familiar face in the paddock. The weekend saw plenty of motor-enthusiast celebs, with Bizarrap, Juanpa Zurita, Brit Johnson, Morgan Riddle, Becca Bloom, Munya Chawawa, and Rome Flynn all spotted around the circuit over the weekend’s duration.
From grid walks to garage tours, the celebrity presence added an extra touch of star power to the Mexico City Grand Prix this year.
