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IndyCar: Mexico City will not join the calendar in 2018 season

By Alex Herbst

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - OCTOBER 29: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes F1 WO8 on track during the Formula One Grand Prix of Mexico at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on October 29, 2017 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - OCTOBER 29: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes F1 WO8 on track during the Formula One Grand Prix of Mexico at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on October 29, 2017 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images) /
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Despite initial time to negotiate a deal, IndyCar will not race in Mexico City in 2018. But they are not completely shutting the door on racing south of the border.

The 2018 IndyCar Series schedule was released many weeks ago, but some fans and teams were still holding out hope that another race could be added to the calendar. For some time now, IndyCar officials have been negotiating to bring the series to Mexico City in 2018 for a race on the first weekend in August. Unfortunately, a deal could not be reached for the upcoming season.

As reported by NBC Sports, the series was unable to come to terms with promoters south of the border for a race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. The news was first reported by SportsBusinessJournal and later confirmed on IndyCar.com. American open-wheel racing has not competed there since the Champ Car season finale (and penultimate series race) in 2007. Formula One recently returned to the track with the Mexican Grand Prix, with much fanfare and excitement.

Mark Miles, CEO of Hulman and Company, had this to say about the negotiations:

"“INDYCAR is invested in the process of putting together the right deal with a partner we are certain can deliver this race. We are not at the point where we can finalize a contract for the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series season and felt that we couldn’t delay the decision any longer, in fairness to our teams, manufacturers and other stakeholders who need time to properly prepare for an event of such magnitude. INDYCAR appreciates the rich racing history in Mexico and we would like to be part of that once again. We will keep working with the intent of making an INDYCAR event in Mexico City a reality in the future.”"

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Perhaps one of the sticking points for Mexican officials was the lack of a full-time driver to attract the home audience. Esteban Gutierrez raced part-time in 2017, filling in for the injured Sebastien Bourdais at Dale Coyne Racing. However, the native son of Mexico does not have a confirmed ride for the upcoming year, though he could be under consideration to replace Ed Jones at DCR full-time.

However, the breakdown over the 2018 race does not mean all hope is lost for the race in the future. Negotiations could continue for the race to join in 2019, when IndyCar will likely have a new presenting sponsor and new television deal in the United States to lean on as well. This would lead to a lot of work being done by IndyCar officials in the next year, with a team that just lost Brian Barnhart as he becomes team president at Harding Racing.

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What do you think about IndyCar’s prospects in Mexico City? Will the series be racing there in 2019, or will it join a list of proposed races that never panned out for open-wheel racing?