Vesti to replace Russell for the opening practice at Mexico City
Mercedes have confirmed that their test and reserve driver Fred Vesti will take part in the opening practice session at this weekend's Mexico City Grand Prix, replacing George Russell.
Fred Vesti will take over George Russell’s Mercedes W16 in the opening practice at the Mexico City Grand Prix. It will be the second time for the Danish driver after his outing in Bahrain where he also drove the Briton’s F1 car.
With the decision, Mercedes will fulfill the requirement set by the Formula 1 rules that say that each driver must sit out two FP1 sessions in a seasons to allow a rookie – classed as any driver who has done fewer than two Grands Prix – to drive the car.
“I am extremely happy to get back behind the wheel of W16 for FP1 in Mexico this weekend,” said Vesti. “I have done a lot of work in the simulator these past few months and it is a huge privilege to put this into action on track.
“This new opportunity will give me more experience as a driver but will also enable me to bring new input to the simulator team back in Brackley.”
As well as providing sim data to Mercedes in-between and across Grand Prix weekends this season, Vesti has also been racing in the IMSA Sportscar series in the United States.
He will arrive in Mexico having claimed back-to-back wins in the category at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Petit Le Mans event at Road Atlanta.
Away from motor racing, the 23-year-old also completed his first Ironman event during the summer. This will be Vesti’s second FP1 in Mexico, after he made his F1 Grand Prix weekend debut in the same session in W14 in 2023. That season, he also completed FP1 in Abu Dhabi.
In total, this Mexico City outing will be his fourth appearance in an official F1 Practice session.
“My endurance racing this year has helped me stay sharp and prepare to jump back into the F1 car, and I have been working on my neck for Mexico as we know Formula 1 does not spare the body!
“I want to thank the team for giving me this opportunity and allowing me to build on the progress we have made so far.”
Mercedes’ rookie driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli had not started more than two Grands Prix at the start of this campaign, which meant that his two rookie FP1s were covered at the first two races in Australia and China.
Last year, the Italian drove in both Mercedes’ mandatory rookie sessions in 2024, stepping in for Russell at Monza and Hamilton in Mexico.
