Mexico City Grand Prix · News
Verstappen to miss Mexico GP first practice as Iwasa takes over
Ayumu Iwasa will replace Max Verstappen in Red Bull’s Mexico City GP opening practice as teams complete their rookie running requirements.
Max Verstappen will hand his Red Bull to Ayumu Iwasa for first practice at the Mexico City Grand Prix, as the team completes its required rookie running for the season. The Japanese driver will take the wheel at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez while Verstappen watches from the sidelines.
The move follows an earlier report that Verstappen was expected to give up his car for Mexico City FP1. Iwasa has already made three FP1 appearances this year, including a run in Verstappen’s car at Monza, which F1LivePulse covered in its report on Iwasa’s Red Bull outing there.
Iwasa adds another Red Bull practice appearance
The rules require teams to give rookie drivers—defined as those with two or fewer race starts—at least four practice opportunities during the season. The allocation is divided into two appearances for each race-contracted driver.
Iwasa has driven the RB22 at Barcelona and Monza, and also took the Racing Bulls car in Austria. Mexico will be his eighth FP1 appearance overall and his second in the country, following a practice run for Racing Bulls last year.
Verstappen and Red Bull have recently returned to winning form, taking victories at Sepang and Singapore before adding a podium at last weekend’s United States Grand Prix. However, the team has not resolved every issue: poor starts and radio problems have continued to trouble Verstappen and team-mate Isack Hadjar.
Several teams are giving rookies a Mexico opportunity
Iwasa is among a wider group of drivers set to take part in first practice in Mexico. Mercedes will give George Russell’s seat to Fred Vesti, while Gabriele Mini and Freddie Slater are scheduled to make their F1 practice debuts with Alpine and Audi respectively.
Haas will run reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa, and Luke Browning will return to an F1 cockpit for Williams. At Cadillac, Colton Herta will replace Valtteri Bottas for the session.
The changes mean a substantial number of regular drivers will be absent from the opening practice, with teams using the session to meet their rookie-running commitments.