Ten rookies set for Mexico City FP1 as Herta targets Super Licence

Ten teams are set to run a rookie in Friday’s Mexico City Grand Prix first practice, with Ferrari the only team retaining its regular line-up. Colton Herta can secure his Super Licence by completing at least 100km on Friday; a planned drive in Italy was limited to five laps by technical issues.

The season’s rules require every full-time driver to give way to a rookie in two practice sessions. For this requirement, a rookie is someone who has started no more than two Grands Prix.

The ten replacements are Fred Vesti for George Russell at Mercedes; Ayumu Iwasa for Max Verstappen at Red Bull; Leonardo Fornaroli for Lando Norris at McLaren; Nikola Tsolov for Liam Lawson at Racing Bulls; Gabriele Mini for Franco Colapinto at Alpine; Ryo Hirakawa for Esteban Ocon at Haas; Freddie Slater for Gabriel Bortoleto at Audi; Luke Browning for Alex Albon at Williams; Jak Crawford for Lance Stroll at Aston Martin; and Herta for Valtteri Bottas at Cadillac.

Racing Bulls has yet to announce its 2027 line-up. Team principal Alan Permane has said the team is weighing 19-year-old Tsolov against current drivers Lawson and Arvid Lindblad.