Explained: Why Mexico has become the go-to track for F1 rookies

07:57, 30 Oct

byTobia Elia

Mercedes’ Bradley Lord explained what makes the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez such a popular venue each year for rookie debuts in FP1.

“The reason really is that the circuit is very, very dusty in Mexico traditionally, so it’s not a super useful FP1 for learning for the rest of the weekend”

- Bradley Lord

Appearing in Mercedes’ customary post-race debrief after the Mexican Grand Prix, Lord explained: “I was having dinner with (David) Croft from Sky F1 on Thursday night and he was rather daunted at the number of new names he needed to remember for FP1 — nine drivers, I think it was, including our own Fred Vesti, who was subbed in for one of the rookie sessions.

“The reason really is that the circuit is very, very dusty in Mexico traditionally, so it’s not a super useful FP1 for learning for the rest of the weekend. So teams use it as one of the weekends to cover off the two rookie sessions that need to be sacrificed by race drivers who are not in their rookie season.”

In Mexico, the Brackley-based team opted to sideline George Russell for one session, giving reserve driver Frederik Vesti the chance to get back behind the wheel for the second time this year, having already taken part in FP1 in Bahrain at the start of the season.

mercedes-reserve-driver-frederik-vesti-jpg

Mercedes reserve driver Frederik Vesti - Photo: Race Pictures

“Kimi obviously was permitted to take part, George stepped away for Fred, and when you count through the calendar — with all the sprint races and events where track time is absolutely crucial — Mexico is one of the ones that lends itself.

“And indeed, I think in the top four on Sunday, only one of those drivers had actually taken part in FP1, so it showed it wasn’t too much of a hindrance.”

How many rookies took part in FP1 in Mexico?

Nine out of ten teams chose to run at least one rookie during the first practice session in Mexico, making FP1 naturally less representative in performance terms ahead of a weekend that proved pivotal in the title fight, with Lando Norris taking victory.

Still, it offered several young drivers a valuable chance to gain experience behind the wheel.

The list of rookies who took part in FP1 was a mixed one — ranging from young talents still competing in Formula 2 to more experienced drivers who have built their careers in other categories. Here’s the full list.

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