Frederik Vesti: « It’s a dream come true »

Frederik Vesti had his first Formula 1 experience with Mercedes. The young driver from the German program took part in FP1 in George Russell’s car at the Mexican Grand Prix. The 21-year-old Danish driver joined the Mercedes program in 2021 and is currently in his second season in Formula 2. He currently holds second place in the championship driving for Prema Racing.

For his first appearance in F1, Vesti experienced difficulties, similar to Mercedes throughout the evening, achieving the 19th and final time of the session. Théo Pourchaire didn’t have the opportunity to set a time due to brake issues. The Danish driver’s best lap was completed in 1.22.937, which is a difference of +3.219 compared to Max Verstappen, who had the best performance of the evening.

Despite this disappointment in terms of performance, the 21-year-old driver remained happy with his evening. “What a session!” exclaimed Frederik Vesti in a Twitter video posted by the German team. “It’s a dream come true. Being able to do so many laps in this incredible car, on this track. Simply a great dream. A huge thank you to Mercedes for this opportunity, and I hope to be back soon.”

We have learned a lot.

After his session, Vesti tested the initial adjustments made by Mercedes. Although they didn’t prove profitable during FP1, the data reported by the Danish driver allowed George Russell to achieve the 10th fastest time in FP2. “Since I joined the team’s young driver program, I have worked hard to obtain good results, and I have spent a lot of time in the simulator to prepare for today,” said Vesti. “I have never raced here before, and it is definitely a challenging track with very little grip, which is really felt in the car. We have learned a lot, both for me and the team, during this one-hour training session, and I hope we will make good preparations to achieve good results on Sunday. I look forward to returning to Abu Dhabi and getting back behind the wheel for the team.”

Oliver Bearman, Jack Doohan, and Isack Hadjar also took part in the FP1 of the Mexican GP as rookies. Théo Pourchaire was limited to a few laps on the track due to brake issues on the Alpha Romeo.