Lewis Hamilton set to miss Mexican GP FP1 as Ferrari WEC driver steps in

Lewis Hamilton is set to sit out the first practice session at this weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix with Ferrari announcing that Antonio Fuoco will drive in FP1.

It will mark Fuoco’s first appearance on an official F1 race weekend more than a decade after the Italian carried out his maiden Formula 1 test with Ferrari.

Antonio Fuoco set to replace Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari for Mexican GP FP1

Fuoco was released from Ferrari’s junior scheme at the end of 2018 but has maintained ties to the team as a simulator and development driver over recent years.

The 29-year-old has played an integral role in the Italian manufacturer’s success in the World Endurance Championship, winning the prestigious Le Mans 24 Hours race in 2024.

Under F1’s rules, teams are required to field a rookie driver – described as drivers who have started no more than two grands prix – in at least two FP1 sessions per car each season.

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And Ferrari has announced ahead of this weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix that Fuoco will drive the SF-25 car in opening practice at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

In a post to social media on Monday, Fuoco wrote: “Got the call. Mexico see you on track for FP1 Let’s do this.”

Although the team stopped short of naming the driver Fuoco will replace, it is expected that Hamilton will forced to make way as teammate Charles Leclerc has already sat out two FP1 sessions this season.

Leclerc was replaced by Dino Beganovic, the Swedish-Bosnian junior racer currently competing in the F2 feeder series, at the Bahrain Grand Prix in April.

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Beganovic was classified 14th in Sakhir, lapping around 1.2 seconds slower than Hamilton.

The 21-year-old also deputised for Leclerc in FP1 at the Austrian Grand Prix in June, setting the 18th-fastest time.

Hamilton will also be forced to make way for a rookie driver in FP1 at one of the final four rounds following the Mexican Grand Prix.

With the upcoming rounds in Brazil and Qatar designated sprint events, limiting teams and drivers to a single hour of practice running, it is highly unlikely that Hamilton will sit out FP1 at either of those rounds.

The Las Vegas Grand Prix, held on a street circuit, is also unlikely to be considered appropriate for a rookie outing.

That leaves Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the season finale, as the most likely race for Ferrari to fulfill its final mandatory rookie FP1 outing with Hamilton’s car.

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