Max Verstappen, Lando Norris and George Russell will be among 10 established Formula 1 drivers sitting out the opening practice session at the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix as teams use the weekend to fulfil their mandatory rookie running requirements.
The unusual FP1 line up will see half of the regular grid replaced at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on Friday, with only Ferrari choosing to field both of its full time race drivers during the first hour of track action.
Under Formula 1 regulations, every team must give rookie drivers practice opportunities during the season, with each race car required to be handed over in at least two FP1 sessions.
Mexico City has become an attractive venue for teams to complete those obligations because the circuit is not a street track and this weekend does not feature a Sprint format, making the loss of one practice session less disruptive than at more demanding venues.
Red Bull will replace Verstappen with Ayumu Iwasa, who has already driven for the team in opening practice sessions at Barcelona and Monza this season.
That means Verstappen will have to wait until FP2 before beginning his preparations for Sunday’s race, an unusual situation for a driver who will still be central to the battle at the front despite no longer being in realistic championship contention.
McLaren will make a similarly significant change.
Reigning world champion Norris will hand his car to Leonardo Fornaroli, giving the Formula 2 champion another valuable opportunity to experience current Formula 1 machinery during a live Grand Prix weekend.
Norris therefore faces a compressed preparation programme once he returns for FP2, particularly important because McLaren have been attempting to regain momentum after a difficult run compared with Mercedes and Red Bull.
George Russell will also miss FP1 for Mercedes, with reserve driver Frederik Vesti taking over his car.
Russell remains one of the few drivers still mathematically capable of delaying Kimi Antonelli’s title celebrations, although the championship situation has become heavily weighted in favour of the young Italian after his victory in Austin.
Antonelli needs only two points in Mexico City to guarantee his first Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship, or simply needs to avoid being outscored by Russell by 24 points and Lewis Hamilton by 25.
That creates an interesting contrast inside Mercedes.
While Russell gives up valuable opening-practice time, Antonelli is expected to complete the normal Friday programme as he moves to the brink of one of the biggest achievements of his young career.
Several other teams are taking the same approach as Red Bull, McLaren and Mercedes.
Racing Bulls will give Nikola Tsolov his Formula 1 practice debut in place of Liam Lawson.
Tsolov is one of the most highly rated young drivers in Red Bull’s wider development system and his Mexico outing could become particularly important as Racing Bulls continue to consider their 2027 driver options.
Alpine will replace Franco Colapinto with Gabriele Mini, who will also make his first appearance in an official F1 practice session.
Mini’s opportunity gives Alpine another chance to assess a young driver in genuine race weekend conditions rather than relying purely on simulator work or private testing.
Haas will field Ryo Hirakawa in Esteban Ocon’s car, while Williams will place Luke Browning in Alex Albon’s seat.
Aston Martin will use Jak Crawford in place of Lance Stroll, giving the American another outing as part of his development programme.
Cadillac will also continue to provide track time to Colton Herta, who takes over Valtteri Bottas’ car for what will be his fifth practice appearance of the season.
One of the most closely watched rookies will be Freddie Slater, who makes his Formula 1 practice debut with Audi.
The 18-year-old Briton will replace Gabriel Bortoleto and is expected to appear again in Brazil next week.
Slater finished runner up in the 2026 Formula 3 Championship and became the first driver signed to Audi’s development programme.
His Mexico session therefore represents another significant step in a rapid rise through the junior categories.
Audi racing director Allan McNish has praised Slater’s progress and believes the time is right to expose him to a Formula 1 race weekend.
For Slater, the primary objective will not be outright lap time.
Instead, Audi will use the session to help him understand the car, contribute to the team’s engineering programme and gain experience working within the intensity of a Grand Prix environment.
The large number of substitutions means Friday’s first practice session could look dramatically different from a normal F1 grid.
Ten regular race drivers will watch from the garage while their replacements collect data, test settings and gain experience around one of the most distinctive circuits on the calendar.
The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez presents its own technical challenges.
Located at high altitude, the thin air reduces aerodynamic downforce and cooling efficiency, forcing teams to use unusual configurations compared with most circuits.
Even cars running large wings can generate significantly less effective downforce than expected because of the reduced air density.
That means losing FP1 is not completely without consequence.
Verstappen, Norris, Russell and the other absent race drivers will return in FP2 having missed an hour of direct feedback on tyre behaviour, balance and track evolution.
Their engineers will still have data from the rookie drivers, but a substitute cannot perfectly replicate the driving style or preferences of the regular racer.
Teams will therefore need to maximise the second session.
The weather could add another complication.
Friday is expected to be mostly dry with a 30 per cent chance of rain and temperatures reaching around 25 degrees Celsius, while Saturday and Sunday currently carry a lower risk of precipitation.
Any disruption during FP1 would reduce the amount of useful rookie data collected, while rain in FP2 could make the missed opening session even more costly for the full time drivers returning to their cars.
The Mexico weekend begins the second stage of Formula 1’s Americas triple header after the United States Grand Prix in Austin.
Antonelli’s victory there left him on the brink of the championship, while Ferrari also showed strong pace with Charles Leclerc finishing second and Hamilton taking fourth.
Hamilton will be one of the few leading drivers completing the full Friday programme because Ferrari are the only team running both of their race drivers in FP1.
That could provide the Scuderia with a small preparation advantage, particularly as Hamilton continues working to improve his car set up after admitting that recent compromises have cost him performance relative to Leclerc.
For the rookies, though, Friday represents something much bigger than an engineering exercise.
A Grand Prix practice session offers a rare opportunity to drive contemporary Formula 1 machinery in front of team principals, engineers and the wider paddock.
A clean and disciplined performance can strengthen a young driver’s reputation, while mistakes can be costly when track time is so limited.
Tsolov, Mini and Slater will be making their first official practice appearances, while more experienced reserve drivers such as Iwasa, Vesti, Crawford and Herta will attempt to build on previous outings.
That combination should make FP1 one of the most interesting opening sessions of the season.
The established stars will return later in the day, but for one hour in Mexico City the spotlight will belong to Formula 1’s next generation.
With Verstappen, Norris, Russell and seven other regular drivers stepping aside, Mexico FP1 will become a rare showcase for emerging talent. The rookies get their opportunity, while the championship contenders face the challenge of catching up quickly once the serious preparation begins in FP2.
