F1 teams continue to fulfill their 2023 obligations towards the FIA’s mandate that requires them to hand at least two FP1 sessions to rookies.
And the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is undeniably a popular venue for teams to entrust their car to an affiliated young charger, with no less than five hopefuls taking to the track in Friday’s opening practice.
Teams will conclude their final young driver duties ib Abu Dhabi next month.
Here’s a team-by-team run down of the young talents that are set to showcase their skills in this afternoon’s first practice session.
Mercedes: Frederik Vesti
The 21-year-old Danish driver will take over George Russell’s W14 in FP1. A member of the Mercedes junior team since 2021, Vesti currently competes in the FIA Formula 2 Championship with Prema, and he is seated second in the series with two rounds to go.
Haas: Oliver Bearman
Bearman owes his outing with Haas at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez to his affiliation with Ferrari as the 18-year-old Briton, who also races for Prema in Formula 2, has been a member of Scuderia’s Driver Academy since late 2021. Bearman will replace Kevin Magnussen in Friday’s FP1.
Alfa Romeo: Théo Pourchaire
Pourchaire, who has tested on numerous occasions with Alfa Romeo in the past and who will fill in for Valtteri Bottas on Friday, is the Swiss outfit’s official reserve driver. The 20-year-old from Grasse, France is also the current leader of the FIA Formula 2 Championship. It’s unclear however where Pourchaire will be racing next season should he win the feeder series. A promotion to F1 seems unlikely given the lack of opportunities.
Alpine: Jack Doohan
Doohan, who enjoyed a pair of FP1 outings with Alpine last year, will take over Pierre Gasly’s A523 in Friday’s opening session. The 20-year-old son of motorcycle legend Mick Doohan – a five-time 500cc world champion – races in Formula 2 with Invicta Virtuosi Racing and is currently fourth in the drivers’ standings.
AlphaTauri: Isack Hadjar
Thanks to Nyck de Vries and Liam Lawson, AlphaTauri has technically completed its young driver obligations. But at the request of Red Bull, the Faenza squad will run in FP1 French-Algerian driver Isack Hadjar who currently competes in the FIA Formula 2 Championship with Hitech.
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