When Formula E calls, the Mexican fans answer that call in droves. More than 40,000 fans packed into the sold-out grandstands at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in the city of 22 million inhabitants. Come the end of the race, they were celebrating a winning drive from Germany’s Pascal Wehrlein. The 29-year-old TAG Heuer Porsche driver produced a flawless race at the 2.63-kilometer circuit, which lies 2,250 meters above sea level. Wehrlein took full advantage of the performance of the Hankook iON Race and celebrated his fifth victory in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. Sébastien Buemi (Envision Racing) ended the season-opener in second place, ahead of Nick Cassidy (Jaguar TCS Racing) in third.
Hankook’s premium product, the iON Race, performed as strongly as always throughout the entire race weekend in Mexico City, defying big changes in track temperature to provide the drivers with the grip they needed. Whether morning temperatures were as low as ten degrees Celsius, or a summery 25 degrees Celsius during the afternoons, all 22 drivers were able to rely on the impressive performance of the Hankook iON Race. Benjamin Yoon, Hankook Team Manager, Motorsports & Marketing, said, “The reliability and dependability of the tire are extremely important to the drivers, in order to confidently push the limits on the track. As it did all last season, our Hankook iON Race demonstrated emphatically that it fully meets these criteria. We are extremely happy with the performance and looking forward to the next races.”
Alex Inho Choi, President of Hankook Tire Latin America, was there in person to watch the opening round of the 2024 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. After the thrilling Hankook Mexico City E-Prix at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, he was on hand to present the trophy to the winner at the official presentation ceremony.
No person on earth has ever covered 100 meters faster than him: since 2009, Jamaican Usain Bolt has held the world record for the ultimate sprint distance. Bolt set his seemingly unbreakable record of 9.58 seconds at the World Championships, which took place at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. During the Hankook Mexico City E-Prix, he was given the opportunity to take the fastest Formula E car ever built – the GENBETA – for a few laps of Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez and experience a totally different kind of speed. Providing Bolt with the necessary grip was the Hankook iON Race. “That was an incredible experience,” said the Jamaican sprint king. He added, “It was so much fun, I could do that every day. The car is like a rocket ship on wheels.”
The successor to ProSieben has been confirmed: television station DF1 is the new TV partner of Formula E in Germany, one of Hankook’s most important sales markets. The broadcaster kicked off its program just a few weeks ago on January 1, 2024. In cooperation with the high-profile private station Servus TV from Austria, DF1 has secured broadcasting rights for Formula E and will report live on free-to-air TV from all the races in the electric series. The broadcast collaboration produced an item on the Hankook iON Race at the season-opener in Mexico, featuring ABT-CUPRA driver Nico Müller among others.
Hankook is the current holder of the award for the Best Fan Experience in Formula E. And deservedly so – the state-of-the-art Hankook stand in the Fan Village again attracted countless visitors at the opening round of the season, all keen to find out about Hankook products. Jeongho Park, Executive Vice President & CMO of Hankook Tire stated, “We were very proud of the great response from fans in our first year in Formula E. The award for the Best Fan Experience in the fully-electric series is proof that our concept is very well received by visitors. The Hankook Mexico City E-Prix was the first opportunity for fans to experience our new activations, and the visitors were all impressed.”