Published Wednesday, 28 October, 11:30 a.m. ET (9:30 a.m. Mexico City) · Source: Formula 1, McLaren, Apple
Key Facts
- What: At least five regular Formula 1 drivers give their cars to young stand-ins in Friday’s first practice.
- When: Practice starts Friday, 30 October, at 2:30 p.m. ET (12:30 Mexico City time); the race is Sunday, 1 November, at 3:00 p.m. ET.
- Title race: Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes’ Italian driver, leads teammate George Russell by 123 points, 365 to 242.
- Altitude: The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City’s circuit, sits about 2,285 metres above sea level.
At least five Formula 1 drivers will hand their cars to young stand-ins when the Mexico City Grand Prix weekend opens on Friday. The swap lands as the title race nears its end, and you can follow every step in our Mexico City Grand Prix coverage.
First practice, known as FP1, is the opening one-hour session before qualifying and the race. Formula 1 rules require teams to give young drivers runs in Friday practice during the season.
Who Sits Out Practice
Gabriele Minì, a young Alpine reserve, will drive in place of Alpine’s Franco Colapinto. Luke Browning will take the Williams of Alex Albon, and Frederik Vesti replaces Mercedes’ George Russell.
Freddie Slater will drive for Audi instead of Brazil’s Gabriel Bortoleto, and Jak Crawford replaces Lance Stroll at Aston Martin. McLaren has also confirmed that its reserve driver Leonardo Fornaroli will run in FP1 for the third time this season.
Other teams may announce swaps before Friday. Among the regulars missing from the first hour is Russell, the championship runner-up.
Why McLaren Is Holding Back
McLaren, the British team of Norris and Piastri, expects little new on its MCL40, the car it built for 2026, in Mexico. Team principal Andrea Stella said bigger upgrades are planned for Brazil and Las Vegas, but “there won’t be very much” in Mexico.
Lando Norris finished fifth and Oscar Piastri seventh at last weekend’s United States Grand Prix. McLaren has gone four races without a podium and sits level with Red Bull on 355 points in the fight for third place among the teams.
Norris called the MCL40 “easily the hardest car I’ve ever driven in my life” after qualifying eighth in Austin. He said the team lost almost three tenths of a second per lap in slow corners.
How Close Is the Title?
Antonelli, Mercedes’ young Italian driver, leads Russell by 123 points with four races left after Mexico. The Mexico City Grand Prix could give him his first drivers’ world championship.
Behind Russell, Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton has 241 points, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen 236 and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc 233. Only nine points separate second from fifth, so the fight for runner-up is wide open.
When to Watch From the United States
The official schedule puts second practice on Friday, 30 October, at 6:00 p.m. ET (16:00 local). Qualifying, which sets the starting grid, is Saturday, 31 October, at 5:00 p.m. ET (15:00 local).
The race is Sunday, 1 November, at 3:00 p.m. ET (14:00 local), after US clocks go back that morning. It runs for 71 laps over 305.354 kilometres.
What It Means for US Readers
American fans can follow every session on Apple TV, which is the exclusive US home of Formula 1 in 2026. Practice will be the first look at whether the young drivers can match the regulars at a circuit more than two kilometres above sea level.
Mexico City is the Latin American stop on the 2026 calendar before São Paulo on 8 November. A title clinched here would leave four races to spare.
What Is Not Known
Teams have not published a final practice entry list, so more changes are possible. Whether Antonelli can clinch in Mexico depends on the results of qualifying and the race.
Sources
Formula 1 official schedule and standings; McLaren Racing; Apple. Standings after the United States Grand Prix.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why are regular drivers sitting out Friday practice?
Formula 1 rules require teams to give young drivers runs in Friday practice. At least five teams are using the Mexico City weekend for that.
When does the Mexico City Grand Prix start in US time?
The race starts Sunday, 1 November, at 3:00 p.m. ET. First practice is Friday, 30 October, at 2:30 p.m. ET.