Packed grandstands, a sell-out crowd, an amazingly convivial/passionate atmosphere and a feel-good factor that Formula E really sees in its entirety once a year.
Mexico City's Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is in many ways the perfect venue for the world's only all-electric world championship.
For three of the last five seasons (2022-24) it was the opening venue. And those were perfect launches for the series. They made sure the new season hit the ground running and had big eyes on it at a time when there was little or indeed no other major motorsport around.
So, launching the crucial Gen4 spectacle for Season 13 in 2026-27, arguably Formula E's most important-ever campaign, in Mexico is clearly a neat filing into the 'no brainer' department, isn't it?
Don't be so sure of that.
All indications presently point to Gen4's first race being in Sao Paulo in early December this year. For 2026, read 2025. For Gen4, read Gen3. As locations go, Sao Paulo is absolutely fine but it's not Mexico City. The TV cameras search for pockets rather than oceans of fans. The atmosphere is warm, not white-hot, and the noise is timid, not cacophonous.
Does it really matter where Gen4 starts? Many think it does because it will showcase what we are being told are amazing new cars that can maximise and enhance the colour and spectacle.
Sao Paulo just won't do that as well as Mexico City, and the appetite for Formula E is palpably not as great. This was evidenced by a similar amount of people, a generous 20,000, heading to Interlagos for the Brazilian Truck Racing finale on the same weekend as the country's Formula E round last month.
Then there is the thorny issue of another clash with the Formula 1 finale to consider. Imagine a nightmare scenario - for Formula E - of another three-way F1 title thriller in Abu Dhabi this December taking place on the same weekend as Formula E's big Gen4 epoch arrival and all the fanfare that comes with its unveiling. Not a great prospect.
Does Formula E really care? The suspicion is it really doesn't as much as you'd think, and that feels odd.
The FIA Awards Gala is held a week after the F1 finale, and a clash with that is believed to be a complete no-no.
When asked by The Race if Mexico could still start Gen4, Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds's response was non-committal at this stage. Formula E will largely form its first Gen4 calendar in the next three months before submitting it to the FIA in June.
"When we race a [permanent] circuit, we also have more flexibility than when we race in a street built track," said Dodds.
"So, for Sao Paulo, where we build out the circuit ourselves, we have to also take into account what else is going on in that location and when we can get the permits, and if there's other things going on in the city. It's much easier to come to a fixed facility like Mexico City.
"This [Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez] could be a consideration. It's a great race in the sense that it's a very vibrant fanbase and over the main straight the Gen4 cars stretching its legs is going to be quite a sight."
Operationally and practically speaking Dodds is right. This is no simple solution of picking and choosing weekends to race as you prefer. Those permits and other activities to consider are crucial.
We are not privy to what they are precisely. But what we do know is that the Anhembi Sambadrome in Sao Paulo has another big event. The carnival takes place the weekend before Ash Wednesday in mid-February which will likely dictate a lot of Formula E's options.
That means that for a lot of January it is likely booked out for preparations, meaning Sao Paulo has limited options on dates. Mexico City is a relatively uncongested facility with few events outside of Formula E and F1.
Certainly, teams and drivers are receptive to the idea of starting in Mexico City, even though there will need to be some modifications to accommodate the Gen4 cars (although that will go for pretty much every circuit outside of Monaco, Shanghai and Berlin to some extent next season).
Cupra Kiro driver Dan Ticktum agreed Mexico is "one of if not our biggest viewed events of the season".
He told The Race: "The engagement is always fantastic and the stadium is obviously very unique. We could probably run a bit of a different track layout for Gen4, which could be cool, because I think the current one in its current form is not the most exciting, but I think it'd be a great place to open the championship."
Another alternative might be to use F1's Mexico track design in the 'Foro Sol' part as opposed to the present 'dogleg' in the stadium section, something that got an initial thumbs-up from Jaguar's Mitch Evans - who also thought it would be a "huge" place to start the Gen4 era.
"I'd love to see it and even the F1 last sector too, because I think it adds another passing opportunity. But for a first race, it would be huge,” he said.
"I think the layout would have to be different for Gen4, which it can be, maybe like the NASCAR [national] version or something of the F1 track. It's a bit shorter, but it's still longer than the current track."
Evans's former Jaguar team-mate, Nick Cassidy, said there were "no downsides" to starting the Gen4 era in Mexico City and thought "the calendar timing is super-important to make sure that you have all eyes on the championship. But for it to be here in Mexico, would be fantastic".
How track could change for Gen4
Modifications to the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez E-Prix circuit will likely have to be made ahead of its slot, wherever it may feature, on the 2026-27 Formula E schedule.
As shown by last weekend's incidents, the present configuration's flashpoints are many, including the first corner, the Turn 5 double-apex hairpin and aspects of the Foro Sol, which include the attack mode area that houses the transponder loops.
One option for Formula E could be to use an adapted version of the national circuit, which uses mostly the same track as F1 except for bypassing the Turn 4 loop and rejoining midway down the short straight before Turn 5 and then the fabled Esses section.
Alternatively, Formula E may want to give the Gen4 cars an opportunity to show their improved pace fully and use the full F1 track, something which is favoured by recent F1-paddock-to-Formula E convert Felipe Drugovich.
The Andretti driver told The Race he would prefer to see Formula E race "on the whole track, the long circuit, with 330km/h [205mph] down the straight".
He added: "I don't know about the battery and energy, but that would be the coolest thing."
Reigning champion Oliver Rowland, who sits on the official Formula E track review group, said that he "wasn't not sure if the car was a little bit quick for this track".
But he had some doubts about switching to the full F1 layout.
"Then I think the problem we've got is you have to go a long way, which consumes a lot of energy," he said of the F1 configuration.
"You want to stay in the stadium, so I think you could do something down the other end of the track.
"We looked to change Turn 1 and to go a bit further down the track and come back but it's not wide enough.
"I love racing here, so it would be cool on that side, so in principle I think it can work but will need a lot of thought."
