This is my spectacting guide to Grandstand 2A at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez track for the Mexican Formula 1 Grand Prix.
Contents
Grandstand 2A Mexico GP location
Grandstand 2A, also known as Grada 2A, at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit is located on the left hand side of the very long start finish straight, about two-thirds of the way along it. It’s a long way after the start line, but slightly closer to the first corner.
As the Formula 1 cars pass this grandstand they’ll still be flat out at their top speeds, shortly before they reach the braking zone for the first turn.
This grandstand is very close to entrance gate 8 which is the gate you have to use to access this stand.. It’s just a 5 minute walk away from this grandstand.
It’s also very easy to access this grandstand if you’re using public transport to get to the track. The Puebla metro station is the closest, which is also around a 5 minute walk away from the entry gate. Or there’s the Ciudad Deportiva metro station which is a 10 minute walk from gate 8.
Zone
The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is split in to different spectator zones for the F1 weekend. This grandstand is part of the Orange Zone (Zona Naranja). Tickets for this grandstand mean you can only access the Orange Zone. You cannot access any other zones around the track which, unfortunately, is the worst thing about choosing this grandstand.
This is the cheapest ticket and cheapest zone at the Mexican Grand Prix. That means there’s not a huge amount of stuff to see and do in this zone. There’ food vendors and bars but other entertainment is very limited. There’s no racing simulators, no pit-stop challenge and no stage, so you won’t see any drivers doing interviews or have any musical entertainment.
If you’re only going for one day it’s ok. But for all three days you’ll probably end up bored. But it’s a budget ticket, so if you’re only interested in the racing then it a cheap way to see the action. However, my ticket tips below mean you might be able to get a better seat for less.
Grandstand details
Cover
This grandstand is not covered. There’s no roof and no shade, so you’ll be in the hot Mexican sunshine all day long. And it will get HOT here. Seriously hot. So if you’re not happy to be in the sun all day then this isn’t for you.
If you are up for it, make sure check out my dress code for the Mexican GP for some tips on what to wear to stay cool.
In the park area behind the grandstand, within the Orange Zone, there a number of trees so you can usually find somewhere in the shade to go and cool off for a bit.
Seats
The seats are metal bench style bleacher seats with no backrest. They’re not that comfy. And as they’re metal they will get incredibly hot. So bring something to sit on so your bare skin doesn’t touch the hot metal.
TV screens
There are three big screens on the other side of the circuit, spreado out along the length of the grandstand. So you can always see a screen.
Mexico GP Grandstand 2A tickets
As this is pretty much the cheapest grandstand ticket at the Mexican GP, then tickets can sell out fast. But don’t worry if that’s the case – you can still buy tickets through ViaGoGo right up until the race weekend.
The other benefit of using that website to find tickets is you can occasionally find a bargain. So if you hold out and wait until nearer the race weekend you might find a ticket for another grandstand at a cheaper price. That’s what I’ve done before.
I’ve used Viagogo for buying my Formula 1 tickets lots of times over the last few years, including for my more recent trips to the Las Vegas and Canadian GPs. Each time I’ve managed to get tickets cheaper than their official price on there by going for single-day tickets and waiting until nearest the date of the race.
They also have a good ‘FanProtect Guarantee’ which will protect you money and tickets. That’s always given me extra peace of mind. I’ll definitely be using them again.
Mexico Grandstand 2A seating plan
The image below shows the seat plan for Grandstand 2A at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez during the Mexican Formula 1 weekend.
As the seating plan show this grandstand is made up of a number of different sections, numbered 101 to 110. Section 101 is closer to the start line (but you can’t see that) and 110 is closer to Turn 1 (you can’t see that either).
Row numbers start at 1 lowest down at the front and increase as you go up the stand, to Row 31 at the back.
Seat numbers increase from left to right (if you stand on the track and look up at the stand) and start at 1 in each section.
View
The image below shows the parts of the circuit you can see from this grandstand highlighted green:
As the image shows, your view from here is limited to just a small section of the straight directly in front of the grandstand. From here all you’ll see are cars flash past you at over 200mph, and then they’ll be gone.
You can’t see the start line and you can’t see the braking zone for Turn 1. So it’s a very limited view, regardless of which seats you have in the stand.
To illustrate that, below are a few videos filmed from this grandstand.
This video shows the view from Section 107 Row 15:
This video shows the view from Section 109 Row 22:
And this video shows the view from Section 110 Row 8:
Best seats
Which section you sit in doesn’t make much different, nor really does the row. If you want to be closer to the TV screens go for a lower row. If you get the top row you get a bit more of a breeze from the wind running over the stand, so that’s a good option for keeping cool.
Is this a good place to sit?
Personally I wouldn’t choose this grandstand, partly for the very limited view of the circuit you get but mainly for the lack of entertainment and activities in the Orange Zone. I’d try and find myself a cheap single day ticket in another grandstand instead. Grandstand 1 in the Green Zone is a much better option.
