Mexican GP driver lineup confirmed as NINE F1 stars replaced

A new F1 driver lineup is to be expected for the first practice session at this weekend's Mexican Grand Prix following a huge number of changes across the grid.

Ahead of the opening round of the 2025 season back in March, the FIA confirmed a number of rule changes, including the removal of the fastest lap point and the addition of more mandatory rookie opportunities with F1 teams.

This means each F1 outfit is now required to field a rookie driver in both of their cars at least twice, for a total minimum of four sessions throughout the season, double the previous requirement of one swap per car each year.

With just five rounds left of the 2025 campaign, teams are running out of time to meet their quota, meaning a whopping nine swaps have been planned for this weekend's FP1 session at the challenging Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City.

Nine rookie drivers will be replacing full-time F1 stars, with four-time champion Max Verstappen and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton both selected to take a backseat for FP1 on Friday.

Which drivers are being replaced for FP1 at 2025 Mexican GP?

Following a stunning performance where he won both the sprint race and the main event at last weekend's US Grand Prix, Verstappen will sit out of the first session of the weekend in Mexico. Instead, Red Bull junior Arvid Lindblad will return to the cockpit of the RB21 having made his F1 session debut in FP1 at the British GP back in July where he replaced Yuki Tsunoda.

The Dutchman and the energy drink giants are currently executing what could go down as a comeback for the ages after resurrecting their chances in the drivers' championship, but Verstappen will be on the back foot after missing out on the first practice session this weekend.

However, he isn't the only title contender facing this challenge, as McLaren have announced that Mexican driver Pato O'Ward will be returning to his home track for the second year in a row, replacing Lando Norris for FP1.

The 26-year-old has now wrapped up the 2025 IndyCar season where he finished P2 in the championship behind Alex Palou, meaning he is once again free to return to test and reserve duties for the papaya F1 outfit at the Mexican GP.

As Ferrari and Mercedes continue to battle it out for P2 in the F1 constructors' championship, both teams have selected star drivers Hamilton and George Russell to sacrifice a vital session at the wheel around the demanding track, which is over 2km above sea level.

The Scuderia have opted to swap Hamilton out for WEC star Antonio Fuoco, who was part of the team that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2024, whilst Mercedes have chosen to replace Russell with one of their reserve drivers, Frederik Vesti.

Ferrari's choice has proved popular with the Maranello team's home fans given that Fuoco's Friday outing will mark the first time an Italian driver has driven a Ferrari in an official F1 session in 16 years.

Further down the grid, Williams have selected academy star and F2 driver Luke Browning to step in for Carlos Sainz again, and Racing Bulls have enlisted the help of Japanese Super Formula driver Ayumu Iwasa to replace Liam Lawson for FP1.

Aston Martin have chosen to hand out an F1 debut to American driver Jak Crawford in place of Lance Stroll, and Haas have opted to bring Ryo Hirakawa in once again to take the wheel of Ollie Bearman's car after his mid-season switch from Haas to Alpine in the reserve driver role.

To round off the FP1 changes, Paul Aron will be stepping up for his fourth FP1 outing of the season, but this time around he will be replacing Pierre Gasly at Alpine, meaning the team can assess his skills against Franco Colapinto, as the fight for a 2026 seat continues.

Why are Sauber the only team to not field a rookie in Mexico?

The 2025 season saw four rookies thrown into full-time F1 seats for the first time, with Isack Hadjar, Jack Doohan, Kimi Antonelli and Gabriel Bortoleto all lining up alongside experienced team-mates at the start of the year.

Off the track, a number of youngsters also took up reserve driver roles with teams, including Aron at Alpine, with the Estonian going on to take part in practice sessions for both the Enstone outfit and Sauber after being sent there on loan to help fulfill their rookie quota.

By the official FIA definition, a rookie is a driver who has taken part in two or less F1 races during their racing career, meaning Colapinto did not count as a rookie run for Alpine when they initiated a full-time swap with Doohan after just six rounds of this year's campaign.

Bortoleto on the other hand was considered a rookie for his first few outings at Sauber, which explains why only Nico Hulkenberg has had to make way for a rookie practice outing to fulfil the team's quota this season.

Whilst on loan to Sauber, Aron completed both of the minimum two rookie drives required for 2025, meaning the team do not need to field any more rookies this year if they do not wish to do so.

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