Franco Colapinto and George Russell will not participate in the first free practice session of the Mexican Grand Prix of Formula 1. Instead, the very young driver Gabriele Mini will debut in a F1 race week, driving Colapinto’s Alpine.
Mini, who has been competing in Formula 2 until now, where he currently occupies the fourth position in the championship, has been a protégé of Alpine since the beginning of the 2023 season after finishing second in the Euro Formula Regional. The Italian driver is excited about his opportunity.
“I am very eager to get behind the wheel of the A526 and participate in my first FP1 in Formula 1,” Mini assured, who has been working intensively on a simulator to prepare properly in recent weeks.
Alpine also has to meet the obligation of appointing four rookie drivers during the season, and Mini will be the third to do so, after the appearances of reserve driver Paul Aron. On the other hand, Williams driver Luke Browning will replace Alex Albon, thus achieving his eighth and ninth entry in FP1 this season.
Frederik Vesti, who finished second in F2 last year, will also secure a new opportunity with Mercedes at the Mexican GP, taking Russell’s place. In turn, Haas driver Ryo Hirakawa will dominate Esteban Ocon during the session. These new additions to FP1 provide a platform for young talents as they prepare for the future of Formula 1.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
SourceID: SRC_e03d88ec6430b4053b5f5430916c74da29460b36