By alley - Oct 28, 2017, 1:18 PM ET

F1 and Mexican GP organizers aid earthquake relief

The Formula 1 family and Mexican Grand Prix organizers have united to donate to the earthquake relief effort in order to allow 9,000 children to return to school.

Hundreds of people died when Mexico was hit by two earthquakes on Sept. 7 and 19, causing widespread damage, including in Mexico City where this weekend's race is being held. Ahead of tomorrow's race, it has been announced that F1 and race organizers CIE will make a joint donation of 600 temporary classrooms to allow children to resume their education.

Race president and CIE chairman and CEO Alejandro Soberon says the race is acting as a symbol of Mexico's strength following the natural disasters.

"This weekend we want to show the world that Mexico is still standing and more united than ever," Soberon said. "However, much remains to be done in the months and years to come. This is exactly why we decided to support this particular initiative as we are keen to help the future generations of Mexicans to come out of this even stronger."

In a press briefing at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on Saturday, Soberon confirmed the donation would be a 50/50 split between F1 and CIE.

Chase Carey, Formula 1 chairman and CEO, says it is important that the sport showed solidarity with Mexico and contributes to its attempts to recover following the earthquake.

"The whole Formula 1 family wanted to show its full support to the Mexican population hit by the earthquakes of last September," Carey said. "The resilience and courage of the Mexican people have been incredible and we are proud to contribute to this cause. Education is one of the most fundamental human rights and we will be more than happy to know that, thanks to this project, these 9,000 children will be able to enjoy this right with immediate effect."

The race will also see an open invitation to fans to raise a fist on Lap 19 of Sunday's grand prix, with the lap chosen due to the date of the second earthquake. The raised fist has become a symbol of the relief effort as rescuers searching in rubble would raise their fist to call for silence when looking for survivors.