Mexico City, November 8, 2016.

‘It is maybe for the way we drive on the streets!’ Jo Ramírez talks about Motor Racing in Mexico

As suggested on his book’s title, Jo Ramírez – former mechanic, team coordinator and beloved figure in Formula1 – he is genuinely a motor racing guy at his 75 years old, the Mexican still enjoys enormously this sport that returned to his country last year. In conversation with Jo – a close colleague, confident of brothers Rodriguez and Ayrton Senna’s later– at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodriguez, under the frame of FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE MEXICO 2016™ we asked him why is Formula 1 so popular in Mexico. ‘It is maybe for the way we drive on the streets!’ he joked ‘But it is an interesting question. Last year I got fascinated by the category’s return to my country. It is very popular, and that made me wonder why we let so many years passed without having one race in Mexico where we love F1 so much. It is maybe something we inherited from Ricardo and Pedro, however we were over 30 years without a single Mexican driver at this category and it is really difficult to host a Grand Prix without having a local driver’. Nowadays, Mexico not only has one driver, but two, and Ramírez was more than able to analyze these two young men that only a few days ago competed in front of 339,967 passionate fans in Mexico City. ‘Checo Pérez lost Nico Hülkenberg from Force India’, said, ‘And I think it will be a problem for him, because he needs someone with the same level to keep on pushing and improving himself. They encourage themselves and that assures competitiveness in a team. ‘Everyday Checo has been improving in the sport frame, however I felt glad to see he has also changed as a person throughout this year. He is more mature: He has grown. And as a driver, he’s been almost incapable to make mistakes lately! He used to be very aggressive: He hasn’t lost his aggressiveness, but now he knows how to control it and he is doing things well’. This statement was confirmed when Hülkenberg overshadowed Pérez and finished ahead of him on las Sunday’s race, but Checo has contributed with two podiums and with many more added to the total of 145 points that keep Force India leading the great Williams team at Constructors’ Championship. As for Esteban Gutiérrez, Ramírez felt embarrassed about his fight for seeking a supporting point in F1. ‘It has being very difficult for him’, he said, ‘His time with Sauber coincided with the worst two years for the team, not even Ayrton Senna would have added points on that car! Then he was a year as third driver for Ferrrari, which nowadays means nothing, and then we know that early this year he had many initial troubles with his car in Haas – while Grosjean kept adding points-, which didn’t help him at all’. Meanwhile, Jo’s life, FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE MÉXICO 2016™’s ambassador is out of F1’s first row, he keeps turning around the wheels. ’I bought some classic cars and enjoy ‘playing’ with them, and conduct ‘gentlemen’ rallies and keep myself busy, and I think this is really important when you leave such thrilling life as it is car racing behind. ‘I was really worried when I decided to quit: I thought I was going to age faster, but ‘til today nothing has ever happened!’

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Francisco Velázquez [email protected] (52 55) 52019089 CIE

Manuel Orvañanos [email protected] (52 55) 63866686 Band of Insiders

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