Max Verstappen, George Russell and Lando Norris will miss the first practice session of the Mexican Grand Prix on Friday, with rookie drivers taking their places. Over the course of the season, each Formula 1 team must run a rookie in a minimum of two practice sessions for both cars. Given the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is considered one of the simplest tracks on the calendar, teams are expected to use this week's event to fulfil those requirements.
Ferrari are the only team that will use both first-choice drivers for Friday's opening practice. Red Bull will give Ayumu Iwasa a run out in place of Verstappen, the 25-year-old having already enjoyed practice sessions in Barcelona and Monza. Mercedes' Russell will watch from the sidelines as reserve driver Frederik Vesti takes to the track.
Rookie Replacements Across the Grid
Norris, who drives for McLaren, will be replaced by Formula 2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli, while Nikola Tsolov will sit in for Liam Lawson at Racing Bulls. That will mark the 19-year-old's practice debut with the team. Gabriele Mini fills in for Franco Colapinto at Alpine, and Colton Herta will enjoy his fifth practice session of the season with Cadillac as Valtteri Bottas makes way.
Jak Crawford makes his fourth Aston Martin appearance of the year in lieu of Lance Stroll, while Luke Browning will take to the track in Alex Albon's car with Williams. Ryo Hirakawa takes the place of Esteban Ocon with Haas.
Freddie Slater's Practice Debut
British teen Freddie Slater will make his own F1 practice debut with Audi, with the team rolling him out instead of Gabriel Bortoleto. The 18-year-old finished as the runner-up of this year's Formula 3 championship, managing eight podiums in eight weekends.
Speaking about the youngster's debut, Audi racing director Allan McNish said: "We have seen Freddie making great progress throughout recent years, both on and off the track; it is the right time for Freddie to step up. These appearances in Mexico and Brazil will give him valuable experience of a Formula 1 race weekend, and another chance to continue his development before he steps up to Formula 2 next season. We are looking forward to seeing him in the R26 and supporting him through these two important FP1 sessions."
Practice Schedule
The first practice session gets underway at 6.30pm on Friday evening, with a second starting three hours later. The final practice session starts at 6.30pm on Saturday, ahead of qualifying at 9.30pm. The Mexican Grand Prix then officially lands at 8pm on Sunday evening.
