Five teams name rookies for first practice in Mexico

Audi, Mercedes, Aston Martin, Williams and Alpine will each field a rookie in first practice at the 2026 Mexico Grand Prix.

Freddie Slater is listed for Audi, Fred Vesti for Mercedes, Jak Crawford for Aston Martin, Luke Browning for Williams and Gabriele Mini for Alpine. Vesti is named as George Russell's replacement; Crawford will take Lance Stroll's place, Browning Alex Albon's and Mini Franco Colapinto's. Audi has not identified which driver Slater will replace.

The outings count toward the teams' rookie obligations: each team must run a rookie in four first-practice sessions a year. Every regular driver must give up their car for two practice sessions, except those in their first Formula 1 season. A rookie is a driver with no more than two Grand Prix appearances.

Red Bull could add a sixth rookie. RacingNews365 said Ayumu Iwasa was likely to take over Max Verstappen's RB22, while the team had yet to announce the move.