Fresh off last week’s United States Grand Prix, Formula 1 is back in action this week, as the grid heads to Mexico for the Mexico City Grand Prix.
While last week was an F1 Sprint race, allowing for just one hour of practice ahead of the first qualifying session of the weekend, the traditional grand prix format returns this week with three practice sessions before qualifying.
That means some new faces will be on the track during the first hour of practice.
In total, nine rookies will be driving in FP1 on Friday, meaning almost half the grid will be roaring around Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. Who are those drivers, and why is the Mexico City Grand Prix a popular choice for rookie sessions?
Why nine rookies are driving in FP1 at the Mexico City Grand Prix
Ahead of the 2025 F1 season, the rules were changed regarding rookie practice sessions. F1 first instituted the rookie practice sessions ahead of the 2022 season, requiring teams to use rookie drivers — defined as drivers who have fewer than two F1 races on their resume — in two FP1 sessions over the course of a season. The goal was to give younger drivers a chance to demonstrate their ability and obtain much-needed experience in an F1 environment.
However, F1 doubled that requirement before the current year. Now, teams must use a rookie driver in four total FP1 sessions, two for each car they run in the championship.
As for why so many rookies are driving this weekend in Mexico City, there are a few factors to consider. First, there is the layout of the circuit. Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is a permanent circuit, offering slightly more room for error than street circuits and standing as a well-known commodity to the drivers and teams.
It is also a traditional grand prix weekend, with two additional hours of practice after FP1 and before the all-important qualifying hour. So drivers who sit out the first hour of practice will still have two hours of practice time to get ready for qualifying.
The Mexico City Grand Prix also comes at a unique time in the F1 schedule. Not only is the race on the heels of an F1 Sprint race in Austin last week — meaning some drivers might benefit from an hour outside of the car — but it comes at the end of a long season. And with two more F1 Sprint races coming up, the Mexico City Grand Prix offers one of the last best opportunities for teams to satisfy the rookie practice requirements.
Who are the nine rookies driving in FP1 at the Mexico City Grand Prix?
McLaren: Pato O’Ward
IndyCar star Pato O’Ward gets another chance to drive in front of his home fans, having participated in FP1 at the Mexico City Grand Prix a year ago. O’Ward has also driven in practice sessions in Abu Dhabi in both 2022 and 2023.
O’Ward, who will step in for Lando Norris in FP1, finished second in the IndyCar Championship with Arrow McLaren this past season.
Ferrari: Antonio Fuoco
Antonio Fuoco will make his FP1 debut in Mexico City, stepping into the SF-25 in place of Lewis Hamilton.
Fuoco was part of the Number 50 Ferrari AF Corse team that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
This is the third of four required rookie sessions for Ferrari this year. Dino Beganovic drove in place of Charles Leclerc in both Bahrain and Austria, meaning that Hamilton will need to sit out one more FP1 session this season.
Red Bull: Arvid Lindblad
With rumors about the driver lineups at both Red Bull and Visa Cash App Racing Bulls swirling — and Netflix cameras following the every move of Yuki Tsunoda, Liam Lawson, and Isack Hadjar last week in Austin — Arvid Lindblad gets another FP1 session ahead of a potential promotion to the F1 grid.
The young driver, who will step into Max Verstappen’s RB21, made his FP1 debut earlier this season at the British Grand Prix.
Aston Martin: Jak Crawford
American driver and Formula 2 title contender Jak Crawford will make his FP1 debut this weekend for Aston Martin, climbing into Lance Stroll’s AMR25.
Crawford currently sits second in the F2 Drivers’ Championship, 19 points behind Leonardo Fornaroli. Crawford has four wins this season, the most recent coming in the Feature race at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Mercedes: Frederik Vesti
Frederick Vesti gets his fourth FP1 outing this weekend, after driving in FP1 at both Mexico City and Abu Dhabi last season, and Bahrain earlier in this campaign. He’ll slide into George Russell’s spot during FP1.
This also satisfies the team’s FP1 requirements, as Kimi Antonelli was considered a rookie during the first two races of the 2025 season.
Vesti has made a move to endurance racing, as he currently drives for Cadillac Whelen in the IMSA SportsCar Championship. But he remains a reserve driver for Mercedes on the F1 side.
Alpine: Paul Aron
Paul Aron will drive for Pierre Gasly in FP1 as rumors continue to swirl around Alpine’s second seat for 2026.
The Estonian driver is no stranger to FP1 this year, as he also completed FP1 sessions for Sauber at both the British Grand Prix and the Hungarian Grand Prix. He also drove in FP1 at the Italian Grand Prix for Alpine, and is one of the contenders for Alpine’s second seat next year.
Haas: Ryo Hirakawa
Ryo Hirakawa will get his fourth FP1 session of the season this weekend in Mexico City. He drove in FP1 for Alpine at his home race, the Japanese Grand Prix, before making the move to Haas. He drove in FP1 for his new team at both the Bahrain Grand Prix and the Spanish Grand Prix.
He’ll slide into Oliver Bearman’s VF-25 this weekend.
Williams: Luke Browning
Carlos Sainz Jr. will sit out FP1 on Friday, as Williams hands his FW47 over to junior driver Luke Browning. Browning drove in FP1 back at the Bahrain Grand Prix earlier this season.
Browning sits third in the F2 Championship behind Leonardo Fornaroli and Jak Crawford, who, as noted above, will be on the track during FP1 as well. Browning has one win this season, which came in the Feature Race at the Italian Grand Prix.
VCARB: Ayumu Iwasa
VCARB satisfied two of their FP1 requirements at the start of the year, when Isack Hadjar joined the grid as a rookie for this season.
This weekend, Ayumu Iwasa will step in for Liam Lawson. Iwasa drove in FP1 at the Bahrain Grand Prix for Red Bull, sliding into Max Verstappen’s RB21. He also drove in FP1 at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
