Slater and Tsolov Make FP1 Debuts in Mexico as F1's Next Generation Gets Its Shot

Freddie Slater and Nikola Tsolov will make their FP1 debuts for Audi and Racing Bulls at the Mexico City Grand Prix, part of a seven-driver rookie contingent that also puts Fred Vesti (Mercedes), Leonardo Fornaroli (McLaren), Jak Crawford (Aston Martin), Luke Browning (Williams) and Colton Herta (Cadillac) in race machinery on Friday.

Why it matters:

One 60-minute session can redirect a career. Teams use FP1 to measure raw pace, the quality of technical feedback and how a young driver copes when the whole garage is watching. The names who have passed that test over the past two decades read like a roll call of modern F1 champions.

The details:

• Kimi Antonelli, Italy 2024 — Went fastest for Mercedes at Monza before crashing at the Parabolica after 10 minutes. Two years on, he arrives in Mexico City with nine wins this season and on the brink of becoming the youngest champion in F1 history.
• Lando Norris, Belgium 2018 — P18 in Fernando Alonso's McLaren, one place ahead of regular driver Stoffel Vandoorne. Six more Fridays followed; he took the 2025 title by two points from Max Verstappen.
• George Russell, Brazil 2017 — P12 on debut with Force India, then P11 in Abu Dhabi. F2 champion in 2018, three seasons at Williams, Mercedes since 2022.
• Charles Leclerc, Britain 2016 — P18 for Haas, plus three more sessions that year. A strong Sauber rookie season earned him the Ferrari seat for 2019; his most recent win came at Silverstone this year.
• Max Verstappen, Japan 2014 — At 17, the youngest driver ever to appear in an F1 session, finishing P12 for Toro Rosso. Four consecutive titles followed from 2021 to 2024.
• Sebastian Vettel, Turkey 2006 — BMW Sauber gave him his first Friday run, four more followed, then a race debut at Indianapolis standing in for the injured Robert Kubica. Four titles at Red Bull from 2010 to 2013.
• Robert Kubica, Bahrain 2006 — Topped the session outright, replaced Jacques Villeneuve by Hungary and was on the podium in Italy two races later. He won Canada in 2008 and added Le Mans in 2025 with AF Corse.

What's next:

Slater and Tsolov face a trickier evaluation than most. Mexico City's altitude and thin air make the car unpredictable and the tyres difficult to read, so teams will weight clean running and feedback over headline lap times. For Audi and Racing Bulls, Friday is data-gathering. For two drivers at the start of the ladder, it is the first real line on the CV.