Mexico FP1: Tsolov, Mini and Vesti stand out from 10-rookie field
Summary
Ten rookies ran in Mexico City FP1. Nikola Tsolov and Gabriele Mini made clean debuts, Freddie Slater was hampered by an Audi cooling-fan error, and Fred Vesti starred in third for Mercedes.
Mexico City FP1 featured 10 rookies, with only Ferrari running both race drivers. The session offered teams feedback and future-driver clues rather than a straightforward shootout.
Why it matters:
For teams, rookie FP1 runs are about correlation, tyre feedback and assessing race-seat candidates. For drivers, a clean and articulate session can outweigh a headline lap time.
The details:
- Nikola Tsolov finished P12 on his public Racing Bulls debut, 0.126s behind Arvid Lindblad. Alan Permane said it was not an audition but a test of feedback and debrief quality.
- Gabriele Mini was P14 for Alpine, 0.756s off Pierre Gasly; late VSC timing limited his soft-tyre run.
- Freddie Slater’s Audi debut was disrupted when a cooling fan was left attached and blocked a radiator inlet. Audi was fined €7,500; Slater was P21, over 1.3s off Nico Hulkenberg, but stayed philosophical.
- Fred Vesti starred in P3 for Mercedes, 0.074s shy of Kimi Antonelli. Mercedes called it his most convincing FP1 yet, and Vesti confirmed he is chasing an F1 race seat.
- Ayumu Iwasa was P5 for Red Bull, 0.432s and six places ahead of Isack Hadjar, whose session was compromised by power-unit trouble.
- Leonardo Fornaroli was P17 after off-track moments and flat spots; Jak Crawford stopped with an ERS issue (P19), and Colton Herta was P22 as his Super Licence situation remained unclear.
What's next:
Slater gets another FP1 outing in Sao Paulo. For Tsolov, Mini and Vesti, Mexico provided useful evidence as the 2027 driver market gathers pace.
Original Article :https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/rookie-round-up-how-10-f1-rookies-got...