Mercedes reserve driver reveals Toto Wolff asked him about F1 driver swap during race

Mercedes

Mercedes reserve driver reveals Toto Wolff asked him about F1 driver swap during race

That's...an interesting person to ask

Chris Deeley Editor

Experienced sports writer covering F1 and other motorsports since 2023

Sunday 20 September 2026 08:28

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Mercedes reserve and test driver Fred Vesti has revealed that his job is more involved with race day operations than anyone previously suspected.

Recapping this month's Italian and Spanish Grands Prix double header on the Nu Silver Arrows show, Vesti revealed that he has a radio channel with team principal Toto Wolff, along with key decision-makers James Allison and Bradley Lord, during races.

What does the team's reserve driver, who's never started an F1 race, have to add to that? It's all a matter of perspective – specifically Vesti's perspective as someone who drives the 2026 sim setup often, and can provide the closest thing to the perspective of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell from the pit wall.

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Vesti even revealed that he was asked a race-critical question when Antonelli was climbing all over the back of George Russell with a clearly faster car at the Canadian Grand Prix this season, with Wolff asking his reserve driver whether the team should tell Russell to allow his younger team-mate past.

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Vesti: Mercedes drivers fighting is good for the sport, bad for the heart rate

Antonelli and Russell battled again two weeks ago at Monza, with Antonelli prevailing to take victory at his home grand prix, with Vesti saying of that fight: "Definitely tense, seeing two Mercedes cars battle like that is great for the sport, but it's not great for Toto's and everyone else's heart rate."

On the radio channel, he explained: "It's Toto, James (Allison), Bradley (Lord) and me, and we can definitely discuss quite a few things. From my perspective, Toto will have some questions regarding racing from a driver's perspective, and that's why I can add value. Especially this year.

"Obviously in the sim I'm learning a lot, I know what the drivers are doing and what they're thinking, and he doesn't necessarily have that perspective. So for him to understand the race and the choices the drivers are making, sometimes he's leaning a bit on me, which is very nice."

He added: "I remember back in Canada, he turned to me and was like 'Fred, should we invert the cars?' I was like 'uhh...that's way above...', but it shows that he's very dynamic."