Nine rookie drivers are gearing up for FP1 at the Mexican Grand Prix, as every team, bar Sauber, confirms their line-ups for the session.
Under current F1 regulations, each team must field a rookie driver in two FP1 sessions per car – doubling last season’s requirement of just one.
That means every full-time driver must give up their seat twice during the year, with most teams choosing to delay those sessions until the business end of the campaign.
A “rookie” is defined as any driver who has started no more than two Grands Prix, meaning three teams have already ticked off half their obligation by signing newcomers for 2025.
Kimi Antonelli, Gabriel Bortoleto and Isack Hadjar have already logged their mandatory rookie outings in Australia and China earlier in the year.
Jack Doohan’s early-season runs could technically have fulfilled Alpine’s requirement, but the team has opted to share opportunities amongst other young talents. Paul Aron will take part in three FP1s for the French outfit as they continue to assess him for a potential 2026 seat.
Sauber, meanwhile, is the only team to have wrapped up all four of their rookie appearances in 2025 – including two FP1s earlier this year where Aron was loaned from Alpine for Silverstone and the Hungaroring.
The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez has become a regular stop for rookie sessions, as most teams have finalised their upgrade packages by this stage, making data collection less critical.
Who are the rookies taking part in the Mexican Grand Prix FP1 session?
Arvid Lindblad – Red Bull
Red Bull junior Arvid Lindblad will take over Max Verstappen’s car for the opening session of the weekend in Mexico City.
This will be the 18-year-old’s second FP1 session with the team, following his debut in July at Silverstone, where he raced in front of his home crowd.
Currently in his rookie F2 campaign with Campos Racing, Lindblad sits seventh in the standings and has caught the attention of Red Bull chiefs with two victories to his name. The young Brit is now being touted for a Formula 1 promotion next year.
This will be Red Bull’s third rookie appearance of 2025, and it is expected Lindblad will get another outing before the season ends.
Pato O’Ward – McLaren
McLaren reserve driver Pato O’Ward will once again take the wheel of Lando Norris’s car, performing in front of an adoring home crowd for the second consecutive year.
The 26-year-old finished runner-up in this season’s IndyCar Championship with Arrow McLaren and has been a familiar face around the F1 paddock since his first test back in 2021.
O’Ward made his FP1 debut at the Mexican Grand Prix last year, with McLaren CEO Zak Brown keen to highlight Mexico’s strong racing culture after scepticism from IndyCar organisers about local fan interest.
Alex Dunne, a former McLaren junior, previously appeared for the team in Austria and Italy. He left the team in October. With Oscar Piastri still due to sit out one more FP1, O’Ward is expected to return for another session later in the year.
Antonio Fuoco – Ferrari
Antonio Fuoco is set to step into Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari for the FP1 session in Mexico. The 29-year-old, who claimed victory at the 2024 Le Mans 24 Hours with Ferrari, will make his official FP1 debut this weekend.
Fuoco graduated from the Ferrari Driver Academy into the Scuderia’s simulator team in 2019 and has featured in numerous young driver tests since then. His last on-track appearance came in post-season testing at Yas Marina in 2024, while Ferrari junior Dino Beganovic has already covered the team’s previous rookie slots this year.
Frederik Vesti – Mercedes
This weekend, Frederik Vesti is set to participate in his fourth FP1 session for Mercedes at the Mexican Grand Prix.
The 23-year-old joined the Mercedes junior programme in 2021 and was promoted to a reserve role in 2023 after missing out on a full-time F1 seat.
Now sharing reserve duties with Valtteri Bottas, Vesti will take part in his second FP1 of the year, following his run in Bahrain.
With Kimi Antonelli having made his debut earlier in the season, this outing completes Mercedes’ rookie requirement for 2025.
Jak Crawford – Aston Martin
In 2024, development driver Jak Crawford signed with Aston Martin, and now he is set to make his rookie debut with the team in Mexico.
Currently, the 20-year-old is competing in Formula 2 with DAMS Lucas Oil, where he holds fifth place in the standings. He has already gained valuable mileage in the AMR24 during post-season testing in Abu Dhabi last year.
Reserve driver Felipe Drugovich has filled in twice this season for Fernando Alonso, in Bahrain and Hungary, while Lance Stroll has yet to complete his own pair of mandatory rookie absences.
Paul Aron – Alpine
Paul Aron continues his busy rookie campaign after previous FP1 runs with Sauber at Silverstone and the Hungaroring.
Loaned out by Alpine to gain extra experience, the 21-year-old Estonian is widely tipped to join the team full-time in 2026.
This marks Aron’s first FP1 outing with Alpine proper, having departed the Mercedes junior ranks at the end of 2023.
Earlier in the year, Alpine clarified that Jack Doohan’s runs in Australia and China wouldn’t count towards their rookie quota, ensuring both regular drivers split their missed sessions evenly. Pierre Gasly will sit out this weekend for the first time this year, and once more before the season concludes.
Ryo Hirakawa – Haas
Ryo Hirakawa returns for another FP1 session after previously appearing at his home race in Japan – albeit with Alpine. The 31-year-old switched to Haas immediately after that event and has since taken part in two rookie outings with the American outfit.
He will once again replace Oliver Bearman, who lost his rookie eligibility following his third F1 start in 2024 when he subbed in for an unwell Kevin Magnussen in Singapore.
This marks Haas’s third rookie session of 2025, leaving Esteban Ocon set to miss one more FP1 before the year is out.
Ayumu Iwasa – Racing Bulls
Ayumu Iwasa will slot into Liam Lawson’s seat for FP1 in Mexico. The 24-year-old has already appeared for sister team Red Bull in Bahrain but will now fulfil one of Racing Bulls’ rookie requirements.
With Isack Hadjar’s earlier outings counting towards the team’s tally, only Lawson still has two sessions to surrender this year.
Luke Browning – Williams
Williams junior Luke Browning will step in for Carlos Sainz during FP1 in Mexico as the team continues to rotate its young talents.
The 22-year-old Brit, currently second in the F2 standings, will make his second FP1 appearance of 2025 after driving in Bahrain earlier this season.
Williams still has one rookie session remaining, with Alex Albon expected to vacate his seat for the final one before the year’s end.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
