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During Free Practice 1 at the Mexican Grand Prix, nine development drivers took to the track — the highest number in a single session this season.
Arvid Lindblad emerged as the standout rookie, setting the quickest time among the young drivers running at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
Mexico City, November 25, 2025. — The FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO DE LA CIUDAD DE MÉXICO 2025 Presented by Heineken became the largest stage for the sport’s next generation, bringing together nine junior and reserve drivers in an official Friday session held on October 24 at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
Sauber F1 Team was the only squad on the grid that did not hand the cockpit to its development driver, unlike the rest of the field, which used the Mexico GP as an ideal venue to evaluate new talent or gather key data for car setup.
Of the nine non-race drivers who ran in Free Practice 1, the youngest was 18-year-old Arvid Lindblad, who also topped the rookie timesheet in the Red Bull Racing car normally driven by Max Verstappen.
Lindblad ended the session six tenths off the overall fastest time set by Charles Leclerc of Ferrari, and he was one tenth quicker than Yuki Tsunoda, the team’s full-time race driver.
Mexican driver Patricio O’Ward, age 26 and a current star in the IndyCar Series, took the wheel of the McLaren despite stomach issues and still finished as the second-fastest development driver, with Frederik Vesti (23, Mercedes) slotting in just behind him.
The remaining development drivers were Paul Aron (21, Alpine); Ryo Hirakawa (31, Haas); Ayumu Iwasa (24, Racing Bulls); Luke Browning (23, Williams); Jak Crawford (20, Aston Martin); and Antonio Fuoco (29, Scuderia Ferrari).
For the 2026 season, only three seats remain open or without confirmed contracts: both Racing Bulls seats and Max Verstappen’s teammate at Red Bull. This means that at least seven of the young drivers who ran in Mexico have an uncertain path toward securing a Formula 1 drive.
O’Ward will begin preseason with Arrow McLaren in IndyCar, chasing both his first Indianapolis 500 victory and the 2026 championship.
Ryo Hirakawa is part of Toyota Gazoo Racing’s full-time lineup in the World Endurance Championship (WEC), where he has already captured victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Fuoco won the legendary race in 2024 in the Ferrari 499P and will also have his primary focus on the WEC. For these three drivers, their FP1 outings centered on delivering valuable data to their F1 teams.
Among the younger prospects, only Lindblad and Iwasa appear to have realistic chances of claiming one of the Racing Bulls seats for 2026, given that Yuki Tsunoda, Isack Hadjar, and Liam Lawson currently have no finalized contracts within the Red Bull system.
The road to Formula 1 is long and demanding, but participation in the Mexico GP brought these rising talents one step closer to their dream, allowing them to demonstrate their abilities in real competition conditions against some of the best drivers of their generation.
Thanks to its blend of high-speed corners, slow technical sections, and a long main straight, the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is an ideal proving ground for young drivers — the perfect circuit to test their skills and showcase their potential to the world. It would be no surprise if the 11 teams set to compete in the 2026 championship once again choose Mexico as the premier showcase for the next wave of global motorsport talent.
