Mexico GP rookie FP1: Vesti, Minì, Slater and Browning take over as Herta chases super licence

First practice at the Mexico City Grand Prix on Friday (2:30am Saturday, Malaysia time) will look more like a young-driver test than a normal F1 session. At least seven teams have confirmed rookies or reserves for the hour-long run at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. For Cadillac's Colton Herta, it is also a chance to close the gap on the super licence he needs to race in Formula 1.

Who is in, and who sits out

Team announcements over the past fortnight list these changes for FP1:

• Mercedes: Frederik Vesti replaces George Russell.
• Alpine: Italian academy driver Gabriele Minì makes his F1 session debut in Franco Colapinto's car.
• Audi: Freddie Slater takes over from Gabriel Bortoleto.
• Williams: Reserve Luke Browning drives Alex Albon's car.
• Aston Martin: Jak Crawford steps into Lance Stroll's car.
• Cadillac: Colton Herta replaces Valtteri Bottas.
• McLaren: Leonardo Fornaroli, the 2025 Formula 2 champion, runs in one of the two cars. McLaren has said he will also drive in Brazil but has not said which race driver steps aside at each event.

All the regular drivers return for second practice. Further announcements from other teams are possible before Friday.

Why so many changes in one session

Under the current rules, each team must give four FP1 sessions a season to drivers with no more than two Grand Prix starts, two in each car. With five rounds left, teams that still owe sessions are running out of time.

Mexico is a popular choice because the track is usually dusty and low on grip on Friday morning, so the first hour tells teams less than a normal session would. Giving it away costs the race drivers relatively little.

The newcomers to watch

Freddie Slater, 18, is the first driver in Audi's development programme. He finished runner-up in the 2026 Formula 3 championship with Trident after taking eight podiums in a row across eight race weekends. He moves up to Formula 2 with Invicta Racing next year and will also drive FP1 for Audi in Brazil.

Gabriele Minì is fourth in this year's F2 standings and gets his first official F1 running. It is Colapinto's second FP1 stand-down of the season. Pierre Gasly still has one session to give up before the season ends.

Luke Browning, 24, is Williams' reserve and races in Japan's Super Formula for Kondo Racing. He drives Albon's car in Mexico and Carlos Sainz's car in São Paulo next week.

Jak Crawford, 21, made his FP1 debut at this circuit last year. Mexico is his fourth practice outing of 2026 after Japan, Austria and Belgium, and it completes Aston Martin's rookie quota for the season.

Herta's super licence sums

Herta's fifth Cadillac FP1 run carries the most weight. A driver earns one super licence point for completing at least 100km in an FP1 session, which in Mexico means about 24 laps. Forty points are needed.

A documented count of Herta's points gives him 38: 35 from his IndyCar results plus three from FP1 sessions in which he covered the required distance. Cadillac's own figure is 39, but the team has not explained the difference. His Monza run earned nothing because a hydraulic failure stopped him after about five laps.

If Cadillac's number is right, a full run in Mexico would take him to 40. If the documented total is right, he would still be one short. Either way, the figure the FIA recognises is the one that counts.

The run comes as Cadillac weighs its 2027 line-up. Chief executive Dan Towriss has said the team is reviewing its driver situation, and has acknowledged that Bottas has been off the pace in some races.

Key takeaways

• At least seven teams are running young drivers in Mexico FP1.
• Russell, Colapinto, Bortoleto, Albon, Stroll and Bottas sit out; McLaren has not said which of its drivers stands down.
• Teams must run rookies in four FP1 sessions a season, two per car.
• Herta needs 40 super licence points; estimates put him on 38 or 39.

FAQ

When is Mexico GP first practice in Malaysia time? FP1 runs from 12:30pm to 1:30pm local time on Friday 30 October, which is 2:30am to 3:30am MYT on Saturday 31 October.

Why is George Russell missing FP1? Mercedes is using the session to meet the mandatory rookie running rule, so Frederik Vesti drives his car. Russell returns for FP2.

Can Colton Herta get his super licence in Mexico? Only if Cadillac's count of 39 points is accepted and he completes at least 100km. On the documented count of 38, he would reach 39.

Sources: RacingNews365, Formula1.com, GPblog, Grande Prêmio, GrandPrix247, RACER, GrandPrix.com, News.gp