All but one of the 11 Formula 1 teams will be fielding an FP1-only rookie in Mexico, but some of those changes have particularly high stakes for F1's driver market.
๐ The Core Development
Ferrari is the only team not making a change to its driver line-up. Here's the full list of the swaps elsewhere, including three F1 weekend debuts (for Gabriele Mini, Nikola Tsolov and Freddie Slater).
McLaren: Leonardo Fornaroli for Lando Norris Red Bull: Ayumu Iwasa for Max Verstappen Mercedes: Frederik Vesti for George Russell Alpine: Gabriele Mini for Franco Colapinto Williams: Luke Browning for Alex Albon Racing Bulls: Nikola Tsolov for Liam Lawson Haas: Ryo Hirakawa for Esteban Ocon Audi: Freddie Slater for Gabriel Bortoleto Aston Martin: Jak Crawford for Lance Stroll Cadillac: Colton Herta for Valtteri Bottas
๐ Background & Sector Context
There are some familiar FP1 names there who have already driven in 2026, but Mexico is probably the most interesting roster of the season, with three names in particular standing out as significant in F1 driver market termsโฆ
Cadillac believes Colton Herta is now just one point away from finally earning the 40 he needs to successfully apply for an F1 superlicence.
๐ Industry & Real-World Impact
That's if he can successfully complete the mandated 100 kilometres of running in FP1 when he takes over Valtteri Bottas's Cadillac on Friday.
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๐ฎ Strategic Outlook & What Lies Ahead
There's no guarantee of that given how tough the conditions are in Mexico and the various reliability issues F1 newcomer Cadillac has encountered.
But even if he doesn't get that 100km, Cadillac will ensure he ticks off that last point somewhere else. The team has already satisfied the rookie driver rule; it's only putting Herta in the car for FP1 in Mexico to make sure he gets to the 40 points.
