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Mercedes reserve driver Frederik Vesti will replace George Russell for the first free practice session at the Mexico City Grand Prix on Friday, it was announced today.
This will mark the first time this season that Russell has handed his car over to a rookie driver, with teams required to field young drivers in a total of four FP1 sessions over the course of the campaign.
Vesti has already taken part in two practice sessions this year in Barcelona and Hungary, though on those occasions he drove the car of Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who could seal the world title this weekend in Mexico.
The dusty track in Mexico City is a popular choice among teams to hand over one of their seats to a rookie in Friday's opening practice.
Two other teams have so far confirmed young drivers for FP1 in Mexico City: Jak Crawford will get behind the wheel for Aston Martin, while Freddie Slater will drive for Audi.
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