2026 Mexican Grand Prix: All FP1 Driver Substitutions Announced

Young Drivers to Take FP1 Roles at 2026 Mexican GP

The 2026 Mexican Grand Prix will see several emerging talents step into Formula 1 cars for the Free Practice 1 sessions. As per F1's rookie participation rules, four FP1 sessions require teams to give reserve or test drivers a chance to run on race weekends, allowing main drivers to focus on FP2 and FP3.

This setup lets primary drivers fine-tune car setups in the later practice runs while giving experience to upcoming racers in FP1. The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez will host these sessions where multiple teams have announced driver replacements.

Drivers Confirmed for FP1 in Mexico

• Colton Herta, Cadillac: Herta replaced Sergio Perez at the US Grand Prix, completing 21 laps at Circuit of The Americas and earning a Super Licence point. He needs just one more point to reach the 40 required for an F1 race seat. He is set for back-to-back FP1 appearances, including Mexico.
• Frederik Vesti, Mercedes: Vesti takes over from George Russell. Having finished second in the 2023 Formula 2 championship, he has been part of Mercedes' development since 2021 and has previous FP1 experience.
• Leonardo Fornaroli, McLaren: The current F2 champion will drive Lando Norris’ car. This marks his fourth FP1 outing this year. Fornaroli also won the 2024 F3 title but has yet to secure a full-time F1 seat.
• Gabriele Minì, Alpine: Minì will replace Franco Colapinto for his first FP1 session. Racing for MP Motorsport in F2, Minì follows Alpine’s tradition of giving FP1 opportunities to young talent like Paul Aron.
• Freddie Slater, Audi: Slater makes his FP1 debut substituting for Gabriel Bortoleto. At 18, Slater was runner-up in this year’s F3 championship and plans to move up to F2 with Invicta Racing in 2027.
• Luke Browning, Williams: Browning fills in for Alex Albon, marking his third FP1 appearance this year. He is a member of the Williams Driver Academy, with another FP1 scheduled in Brazil next weekend.
• Jak Crawford, Aston Martin: Crawford drives Lance Stroll’s car for his fourth and final FP1 session of 2026. He previously ran in Japan, Austria, and Belgium, acting as Aston Martin’s reserve driver.

Other Possible FP1 Replacements

Rumors hint that Ryo Hirakawa might replace Esteban Ocon at Haas, while Ayumu Iwasa could stand in for Max Verstappen at Red Bull. Hirakawa serves as Haas’ secondary reserve alongside Jack Doohan. Meanwhile, Iwasa races for Team Mugen in the Super Formula Championship.