IndyCar insider highlights possible F1 interference in Mexico City negotiations for 2026

IndyCar’s conversations with the Mexico City officials have been ongoing since last year. Reports suggested that a race in Mexico can be added to the American open wheel racing series calendar as early as 2026. Fox reporter Kevin Lee recently came out and detailed the possible F1 interference in IndyCar's negotiations with Mexico City for the 2026 race.

NASCAR beat IndyCar and became the American motorsports series to host a race in Mexico, which led to a furious response from Mexican IndyCar driver Pato O'Ward. Penske officials have since then been negotiating a possible deal with the Mexico City race officials.

Advancements have been made since with Penske officials ever closer to finalizing the deal. However, IndyCar reporter Nathan Brown and now Kevin Lee recently came out and pointed to a possible interference from Liberty Media, which has slowed down the negotiations.

As per Nathan Brown, Mexico City promoter OCESA initially asked for a track fee between $1M-$1.5M but in recent times has changed their demand by doubling the fee, while also asking 12% of ticket sales. The same is believed to have stretched out the negotiations.

The reporter also pointed out how, in the same timeframe, Live Nation, an entertainment company, has increased its stake in OCESA from 51% to 75%. What's intriguing is that Live Nation is owned by Liberty Media, the same company that owns the Formula One Group.

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Kevin Lee, on the recent episode of the Trackside podcast, was questioned whether the Mexico City negotiations are causing the holdup for finalizing to 2026 IndyCar calendar. Detailed Live Nation’s increased stake in OCESA, the FOX reporter explained why Liberty Media might be interfering with the negotiations, as he said,

“So you already were dealing with a track that Formula One is their biggest event and now Formula One has a big stake in it. I don't think they really want IndyCar to do well. I don't think they really want fans in Mexico City to find another option that might be a third or a fourth of the price and might have a Mexican driver that has a great chance of winning the race, unlike F1.” (30:10 onwards)

Penske “confident” of IndyCar’s Mexico race in 2026 as officials visit the circuit

The back and forth between IndyCar and Mexico City race officials has been ongoing for over a year. With NASCAR not racing at the circuit in 2026, IndyCar is likely to schedule a race for the 2026 season. IndyStar spoke with a Penske Entertainment official recently, who told the publication that,

“We’re very confident we’ll race in Mexico City in 2026”

As per the reports, IndyCar officials visited the Mexico City circuit (Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez) last week in the bid to finalize the IndyCar calendar for 2026. With the series planning on focusing on the Southern US for the season beginning, Mexico City can slot in right after to reduce the travel.