FP1 Roundup: Which Formula 2 stars past and present will be on track in Mexico

This weekend’s Mexico City Grand Prix will see plenty of Formula 2 stars from the past, present as well as the future taking part in Free Practice 1 at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.

A few will be making their Formula 1 race weekend debut, while others will be building on their previous FP1 experience. Here is a rundown of who you can expect to see out on track…

Firstly, Gabriele Minì will be driving for Alpine in the opening practice session, going behind the wheel of Franco Colapinto’s A526 for the first time on an F1 weekend.

Minì will be joined on track by his rival for the Formula 2 title, Nikola Tsolov, who will also be getting his first experience of driving in an F1 race weekend for Racing Bulls.

Hitech’s Colton Herta will be back in the car for Cadillac for his fifth FP1 outing of the season, replacing Valtteri Bottas.

2025 Formula 2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli is also back in an F1 car again for McLaren, having also driven at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and Spielberg.

Fornaroli will be joined on track by Luke Browning, who will be jumping in the cockpit of Alex Albon’s FW48 for the 60-minute session.

Elsewhere, the Audi Formula 1 Team had previously announced that Freddie Slater – who is set to drive for Invicta Racing in 2027 – will be making his FP1 debut with the team, replacing 2024 F2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto.

Red Bull Racing have also confirmed that Ayumu Iwasa will be taking the place of Max Verstappen, while Frederik Vesti replaces George Russell at Mercedes.

Finally at Aston Martin, Jak Crawford will get his fourth FP1 appearance of the season when he goes behind the wheel of Lance Stroll’s AMR26.