It had been a tense battle for the title in 1964, and it came to a thrilling conclusion at the Mexican Grand Prix.
About The Mexican Grand Prix
The first official Mexican Grand Prix took place in 1963 at the Ciudad Deportiva Magdalena Mixhuca. Now known as the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, the circuit sits over 2km (1.24 miles) above sea level, with the thin air pushing both cars and drivers to the limit.
A non-championship race was held in 1962, before officially joining the World Championship calendar one year later. In 1971, the Mexican Grand Prix vanished from the schedule due to spectator overcrowding at the 1970 race. Mexico City was back on the calendar in 1986, with vast alterations having been made to the circuit to improve overall safety and upgrade the track itself.
Safety concerns struck once again in 1992, when Mexico found itself removed from the race calendar for the second time. A huge renovation project began in 2001, which included the addition of the unique and now-iconic stadium grandstand. However, it wasn’t until 2012 that Formula 1 even began to consider a return to Mexico. After two further years of being snubbed, the Mexican Grand Prix finally returned for the 2015 season. Another massive upgrade project was launched, and the circuit length was shortened by 560ft (170 metres).
After the 2019 Mexican Grand Prix, it was announced that the race would be renamed to the Mexico City Grand Prix. As with the majority of the schedule in 2020, the Mexico City race was cancelled thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2021, it made a triumphant return, and was the first race to be held under its new name. As it stands, the Mexico City Grand Prix is set to run until at least the end of the 2028 season.
Mexican Drivers In Formula 1
There have been six Mexican drivers in Formula 1 over the decades. Ricardo Rodríguez started in five races between 1961 and 1962. His brother, Pedro Rodríguez, raced from 1963-1971, racking up two wins and seven podiums from his 55 race starts. Moisés Solana had eight race starts between 1963 and 1968, whilst Héctor Rebaque started 41 races between 1977-1981. In 2013, 2014 and 2016, Esteban Gutiérrez lined up for 59 race starts, although never managed to achieve a podium finish throughout his Formula 1 career.
Arguably the most well-known Mexican driver in Formula 1 burst onto the scene in 2011 – Sergio Pérez. Between 2011 and 2024, Pérez has taken part in 281 races, winning six of them and standing on the podium an impressive 39 times. In 2025, it was announced that Pérez would be returning to the grid for the 2026 season with the brand-new Cadillac Formula 1 Team.
The 1964 Mexican Grand Prix
For the first time in Formula 1 history, there were three British drivers who stood a chance of winning the title going into the final race. It was a showdown between Graham Hill, John Surtees and Jim Clark.
For Hill to be crowned champion, there were three possible results that would be enough. If he won the race, he would take the title outright. Finish third, and he would still be champion so long as Surtees finished second or lower. If Clark finished second or lower, and Surtees finished third or lower, then Hill could take the title from any position (provided he finished the race).
Surtees had just two real options. Win the race, or finish second and hope that Hill crosses the line fourth or lower. Clark had just one option – he had to win the race. What’s more, he also needed Surtees to finish third or lower, and have Hill finish fourth or lower.
The dramatic final showdown was about to get underway at the 1964 Mexican Grand Prix.
The Race Is On
Jim Clark had managed to qualify in pole, with Brabham’s Dan Gurney sitting alongside him on the front row. Clark’s championship rivals, John Surtees and Graham Hill, had qualified in fourth and sixth respectively. If the race finished in that order, Clark would be World Champion.
At the start of the race Clark led from pole with Gurney behind him. Surtees fell back to fifth, whilst his teammate, Lorenzo Bandini, was battling with Hill for third. As the pair duelled, Bandini ran his Ferrari into the back of Hill’s BRM. Hill spun into the Armco barrier, damaging his exhaust and dropping him down the order. He was able to rejoin the race, but was now competing with a crimped exhaust pipe, which drastically reduced the car’s power.
It seemed as if fate was on Clark’s side, and the championship title was now within touching distance. Whilst the current order would land him on equal points to Hill, Clark would have more wins to his name.
Thinning Out The Pack
Throughout the race, there were a large number of retirements. Trevor Taylor was the first to fall, with his BRP-BRM overheating on lap six. Three laps later, he was joined by Jo Bonnier when his Brabham-Climax suffered suspension damage. Next to drop out was Jo Siffert on lap 11 with fuel pump issues in his Brabham-BRM. Mike Hailwood’s Lotus-BRM was the second car to fall victim to overheating, taking him out of the race on lap 12.
Jack Brabham, driving for Brabham-Climax, had electrical issues that ended his race on lap 44. Lap 63 saw the sixth retiree of the race, when Phil Hill was forced to stop his Cooper-Climax due to engine issues.
Dramatic Finale
Clark was holding strong at the front of the pack on lap 64, and he just had one more lap to do before he could claim the crown. Fate was on his side so far, but fate can be a fickle creature – and as it turns out, so can oil lines…
Just as it seemed there was no way he could lose, one of the oil lines failed, causing the engine in his Lotus to seize as he crossed the line to start the last lap. Just like that, the championship had been cruelly snatched away from him. The lead was handed to Gurney, who was being chased down by Bandini and Surtees. If the race finished in this order, then Hill would be champion.
Ferrari leapt into action, suddenly realising that Surtees could win the title if he finished second. As Bandini passed by the pits to start his final lap, the Ferrari team manager desperately signalled for him to slow down and let Surtees pass. Bandini complied, allowing Surtees to come home in second place and become World Champion.
Summary
Championship fights are always incredibly exciting when they go down the wire. Surtees’ second-place finish at the 1964 Mexican Grand Prix meant that Hill was beaten by just one point. Sure, Ferrari ultimately had the final say (something that would become pretty standard over the next few decades), but there’s no denying that Surtees had earned it.
As well as being a race to remember because of the title fight, this was also the last time Ferrari raced with a different livery. The cars had been entered by the American NART team, painted in white with blue lengthwise “Cunningham racing stripes”. Ferrari have been Rosso Corsa (“Racing Red”) ever since.
Which Mexican Grand Prix do you think is a race to remember? Let us know in the comments!
Feature image cred – By Unknown, 003729-003 TOMAS AE╠üREAS DE LA CIUDAD NOVIEMBRE 1962, CC0, Link