What is it with Red Bull drivers and getting to drive on new Formula 1 circuits first? Infiniti Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo recently became the first of F1’s current grid to drive the newly redesigned Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City.
After taking a look at the pit and paddock facilities, Ricciardo did a lap of the newly configured track behind the wheel of an Infiniti Q50 Hybrid. Scuderia Toro Rosso driver Carlos Sainz then joined him in the World Championship-winning RB7 F1 car. The two drivers tried out several sections of the new track.
The 17-turn 4.3km circuit will return to the F1 calendar in November after a 23-year hiatus.
Ricciardo was enthusiastic about the new track. "It was really cool to come and see how the circuit is coming along and to drive around it in the Q50 Hybrid. It clearly has a good mix of fast and slow corners, which I think will be a real challenge in an F1 car, so I’m looking forward to racing here later in the season. I heard that the tickets are already sold out, so it will be a pretty special atmosphere here--that’s for sure."
Will Ricciardo’s advance lap of the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez give him an edge come November? We’ll just have to watch the race to find out.
