The Rookie Drivers Taking Part In FP1 At The Mexican GP

Posted on October 26, 2023 | by Charley Williams Now that the season is very steadily coming to an end, it’s time for drivers to step aside and let the juniors take their cars for an FP1 ride. And in Mexico, we’re expecting quite a few cameos. As part of F1’s mandatory rule, every team on the grid must use two rookie drivers during two FP1 sessions over the season. However, if you have a rookie in your car this season (Williams with Logan Sargeant, McLaren with Oscar Piastri, AlphaTauri with Nyck de Vries), that does actually count towards the completed rookie sessions. If you want to keep up to date with which teams are yet to run drivers, we’ve got you covered here! But for now, who should you expect to see behind the wheel in Mexico? Well… JACK DOOHAN Doohan is in his second year with the Alpine Academy and previously participated in the same two FP1 sessions for the outfit during the latter stages of the 2022 season. Though he’ll be hoping for a better run than last year in Mexico – when he had to pull into the pits early due to some anomalies in the data. FREDRIK VESTI Currently second in the F2 championship, Vesti will replace George Russell in the Mercedes during FP1 in Mexico. He’s been a part of the Mercedes junior team since 2021, and after getting his first taste of an F1 car at the end-of-season young driver test in Abu Dhabi last year, it will be his first time behind the wheel of the W14. ISACK HADJAR AlphaTauri will run rookie Isack Hadjar, a Red Bull Junior driver since 2022, in place of Yuki Tsunoda during FP1. It will be the first time he’s ever sat behind the wheel of an F1 car. He’s admitted to feeling a little apprehensive about his lack of experience, but we’re looking forward to seeing how he does! OLLIE BEARMAN Can we get a round of applause for another F1 weekend debut? Bearman, who is still only 18, has won four races in his rookie F2 campaign this season and currently sits sixth in the drivers’ standings with one round to go. He’s the latest Ferrari prodigy and definitely a driver to look out for in the future. But this weekend, he’ll be behind the wheel of a Haas for FP1 – and we’ll also see him again in Abu Dhabi. THEO POURCHAIRE Ahh, our F2 championship leader. Theo will replace Valtteri Bottas in the Alfa Romeo in Mexico this weekend, but it’s not his first F1 outing – not even for FP1. Pourchaire, who’s been a part of the Sauber Academy since 2019, took part in rookie FP1 sessions last season, too, and is looking forward to getting back behind the wheel of an F1 car. A driver who perhaps should have been considered for F1 in 2024, but instead he will have a year on the sidelines with Alfa Romeo as its reserve driver. We look forward to seeing them all on track!