Get a behind-the-scenes look at Formula 1: our reporters were at every Grand Prix in 2025, including Mexico. Not just online, but in our magazine, we share our experiences. Part 20 of 24: André Venema reports from Mexico City.
Thanks to our friends at Racing Bulls, I find myself on Friday afternoon, right in the thick of the action in the Italian team’s garage for a one-hour report. With headphones on and all the radio chatter between drivers and engineers blasting loud and clear, I’m having a blast.
About ten years ago, I was also a guest in the garage of the then-Scuderia Toro Rosso for a report. Team principal Franz Tost personally welcomed me. “Have fun,” he said. Back then, half the garages of Formula 1 teams weren’t filled with guests and sponsors. I could hear and see everything, but I had to promise to keep any “sensitive communication” within the garage.
Photos in Mexico
In Mexico, that’s not a problem, Racing Bulls’ communications manager Andrea Saveri tells me just before four local time. Photos? No issue at all. “Just not when the car is open,” the Italian laughs. Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar enjoy a smooth second practice session, with the only change being the tires.
In moments like these, you realize just how professional Formula 1 is, how well teams work together, and that a driver’s life in the cockpit is far more than just steering. Fine-tuning requires knowledge, concentration, and patience. For nearly an hour, there’s a flurry of communication: the driver is informed down to the second when he needs to make way for a colleague on a fast lap or where there’s room for improvement.
Every fan or enthusiast should experience a session like this at least once. It deepens your respect for the drivers and makes you realize that Formula 1 is a modern science: numbers and instructions fly through the air non-stop. Max on a fast lap coming in 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1!
