Hamilton set to miss FP1 in Mexico, Fuoco takes over his Ferrari

Ferrari's seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton will sit out the opening practice session at this weekend's Mexico City Grand Prix, with simulator driver Antonio Fuoco set to complete FP1 on Friday.

Ferrari will have three drivers on duty this weekend as, in Friday’s first free practice Antonio Fuoco will be making his very first appearance in an official session.

The change to the driver line-up in down to the rule that requires each race driver to give up their seat twice during the season to a driver who has taken part in no more than two races (last year Oliver Bearman drove in FP1 for the team).

Fuoco will be at the wheel of Lewis Hamilton’s car. The Italian is a former member of the Ferrari Driver Academy, and is currently competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Ferrari AF Corse in the Ferrari 499P.

In addition to this role, the Cariati-born driver also serves as a development driver for the Maranello-based outfit and is a junior driver for the Competizione GT. He recorded his arguably most important result in 2024, when he, along with Nicklas Nielsen and Miguel Molina of the number 50 Ferrari AF Corse team, won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the Hypercar category.

Speaking ahead of his outing at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Fuoco noted: "My debut in an official weekend is something that, both personally and professionally, makes me truly proud and happy.

"Having the opportunity to drive Lewis’s car and to share the garage with Charles again, as we did in 2017 in Formula 2, is really special. We’ve shared many moments together, both on and off the track.

"Then our careers took different paths, but we’ve always maintained a great relationship, and today we’ve both achieved important milestones with Ferrari. It will definitely be a Friday to remember, a reward for the work I’ve done over the years in support of the team.

Fuoco knows Ferrari's current F1 car, the SF-25 well through his work on the simulator. Asked what kind of contribution he can make to the Italian team during the opening practice session, Fuoco said that he aims to improve correlation between the real track and the virtual world through his outing in Mexico City.

"My main contribution will certainly be to provide a useful reference for simulator correlation, trying to collect as much data as possible and to verify in real conditions how the car behaves on track during a race weekend.

"For me personally, it will also be important to help me improve in the work I usually do on the simulator. Working with Lewis’ engineers and the rest of the team at the track will allow me to grow further and refine the technical sensitivity that I’ll bring back to my work in Maranello."

Pressed on to reveal how Ferrari has contributed to his growth as a driver and as a person, Fuoco picked out his victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2024 as the highlight of his career at Ferrari.

"Looking back at my journey, I can say that these years with Ferrari have been truly unique. We’ve come a long way together, from the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy to GT racing, through work in the simulator, developing the Formula 1 car, and finally the 499P project.

"I must admit I’m very proud, especially as an Italian driver who dreamed since childhood of racing for Ferrari. The victory with the Hypercar in the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans will probably remain the highlight of my career, but being able to finally take part officially in a Formula 1 weekend with Scuderia Ferrari HP is an incredible feeling."