Friday 30 October, at 20:30 in Romania
Opening practice for the Mexico City Grand Prix starts on Friday 30 October at 20:30 Romanian time, equivalent to 18:30 UTC and 12:30 in Mexico City. The session lasts one hour. Ten teams have announced drivers who will take over one car each. This guide brings together the assignments and engineering context before running at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez supplies the first reference points of the weekend.
The ten announced changes
Formula 2’s roundup covers nine participants connected with the championship; Haas’s release adds Ryo Hirakawa. The table combines those confirmations. McLaren announces Leonardo Fornaroli’s participation without identifying the regular driver handing over his car in the release consulted. For Hirakawa, Haas explicitly specifies Esteban Ocon’s car and the Frenchman’s return in FP2. Practice assignments should also be read separately from announcements about the drivers a team will race in future Grands Prix.
| Team | FP1 driver | Regular driver replaced |
|---|---|---|
| Alpine | Gabriele Minì | Franco Colapinto |
| Aston Martin | Jak Crawford | Lance Stroll |
| Audi | Freddie Slater | Gabriel Bortoleto |
| Cadillac | Colton Herta | Valtteri Bottas |
| Haas | Ryo Hirakawa | Esteban Ocon |
| McLaren | Leonardo Fornaroli | Not specified in the team release |
| Mercedes | Frederik Vesti | George Russell |
| Racing Bulls | Nikola Tsolov | Liam Lawson |
| Red Bull | Ayumu Iwasa | Max Verstappen |
| Williams | Luke Browning | Alex Albon |
Herta, Crawford and Iwasa bring recent experience
Colton Herta reaches his fifth FP1 appearance of the season with Cadillac, while Jak Crawford makes his fourth with Aston Martin. Ayumu Iwasa already has a recent Red Bull reference: the official classification for Monza practice on 4 September records 24 laps for the Japanese driver. APEX’s reading is that these backgrounds call for different assessments from those applied to a newcomer. Consistent procedures and useful information can reveal more about progress than a position on the one-hour timesheet alone.
Williams and Mercedes seek information for development
Luke Browning will drive the FW48 for the first time since the lighter chassis was introduced at Baku. Williams explains the value of that running for simulator correlation. At Mercedes, Toto Wolff links Frederik Vesti’s programme with the team’s need to understand the car’s operating window better after Austin and receive precise feedback. Fornaroli arrives with simulator preparation and testing in the McLaren MCL39 behind him; Mexico will be his third FP1 session of 2026.
What to watch during the opening hour
APEX analysis: a useful comparison starts with each team’s programme. The lap count shows how much running was completed; engineers’ explanations can establish which tests were finished. A quick lap needs tyre, fuel and track-condition context. For viewers, the useful markers are sustained runs, any interruptions and the conclusions published afterwards. The table above provides a key for identifying drivers on the broadcast and timing screens. Assessments of their sporting progress will become stronger once the teams explain both the objectives and the outcome of Friday’s work.
