F1 debut confirmed as Lance Stroll sits out for Aston Martin at Mexican GP

Aston Martin have announced a driver swap for this weekend's early running at the Mexican Grand Prix, with Lance Stroll set to hand over his seat to a rookie.

Competing in his first F1 race weekend will be young American Jak Crawford, who is currently locked in a battle with Leonardo Fornaroli for this year's F2 drivers' championship.

With F2 not returning to the track until the end of November in Qatar, this coming weekend's race provides the perfect opportunity for teams to give their young drivers a taste of a grand prix weekend.

Red Bull will give Arvid Lindblad a run in Max Verstappen's car, while Lewis Hamilton will step back to allow Antonio Fuoco a run in his Ferrari. In addition to those swaps, Pato O’Ward will step in at his home race for McLaren, and Frederik Vesti will come in for George Russell at Mercedes.

Jak Crawford competing for Aston Martin

In a statement announcing the switch, Crawford said: "I’m thrilled to drive the AMR25 next week in Mexico for my first official Formula 1 session.

"I’ve worked closely with the team all year, so to now take the next step and get track time on a grand prix weekend is really exciting.

"Announcing this in Texas, where I’m from, makes it even more special after a busy week with the team and Aramco in Houston."

Team principal Andy Cowell added: "It’s fantastic to give Jak the opportunity to take part in FP1 in Mexico. He’s shown real maturity and provided strong technical feedback throughout the year, and these sessions are an important part of how we develop young talent.

"Jak has had a strong season in Formula 2 and has been a key contributor to the development of both the AMR25 and AMR26. This is a great chance for him to continue progressing while helping us gather valuable data."

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