F1 team announce driver REPLACEMENT at Mexican Grand Prix

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F1 team announce driver REPLACEMENT at Mexican Grand Prix

Fernando Alonso will be replaced by a young star

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Wednesday 9 October 2024 19:55 Updated: 16:49

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A Formula 1 team have announced that a multiple-time world champion will be replaced at the Mexican Grand Prix.

Fernando Alonso is one of the most experienced drivers on the grid, currently in his 21st season in the sport as a 43-year-old.

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Barring two seasons off for what was at the time meant to be retirement, Alonso has raced in the sport since 2001, amassing two world championship titles and 32 grand prix victories.

The Spaniard now races with Aston Martin, where he has recently signed a new contract until the end of the 2026 season, hoping to benefit from the upcoming arrival of F1 design genius Adrian Newey.

Fernando Alonso recently signed a new contract

Fernando Alonso has had a frustrating 2024

Alonso to be replaced

Alonso is set to race at least until he is 45 years of age, potentially blocking the path for younger drivers who are attempting to reach the pinnacle of motorsport.

One such example of this comes through Felipe Drugovich, who won the 2022 F2 championship, but has found himself on the sidelines of F1 ever since, as a reserve driver with Aston Martin.

Drugovich drove in a few free practice sessions for the team in 2023, but has yet to feature in any sessions in 2024.

Now, Aston Martin have announced that Drugovich will drive Alonso's AM24 in FP1 at the Mexican GP, before the two-time world champion is given his seat back for FP2.

In a statement, Drugovich said: "I'm really excited to drive the AMR24 for the first time - I've been looking forward to it for a while! I've spent a lot of the year working on the development of this car in the team's simulator, so it will be valuable for me to feel the correlation between the sim and the real thing.

"Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez is a track I haven't driven before. It's a challenging circuit with a mix of long straights and technical corners, so I'll be spending time on the simulator ahead of the event so that I'm ready to go come FP1.

"I want to thank Aston Martin Aramco for trusting me with this opportunity, as well Banco Master for their continued support."

Test and Reserve Driver @FelipeDrugovich will drive the #AMR24 during FP1 at the #MexicoGP.

The session will mark Felipe's first outing in the AMR24, a car he has helped to develop through his extensive simulator work at the team's Technology Campus.

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— Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team (@AstonMartinF1) October 9, 2024