Max Verstappen to Sit Out FP1 in Mexico as Replacement Announced

Red Bull has confirmed that Ayumu Iwasa will take over Max Verstappen's car for the opening Free Practice session ahead of Friday's Mexico City Grand Prix.

For the Japanese driver, this will be his fourth Friday outing of the season and his third with Red Bull. Earlier this year, he replaced Isack Hadjar in Barcelona and Verstappen at Monza, having also filled in for Liam Lawson at Racing Bulls during the Austrian Grand Prix weekend at the Red Bull Ring.

Following the session in Mexico, Verstappen will have fulfilled his rookie allocation and will not need to sit out any further practice sessions this year. Under Formula 1 regulations, every race driver must vacate their car for a rookie in at least two Friday practice sessions across the season. The only exception applies to full-time rookie drivers, who fulfill this requirement automatically at the start of the season.