An interview about the route to Mercedes
In the Beyond The Grid episode featured by Formula 1 on 21 October, Fred Vesti recalls directly approaching Toto Wolff about joining the Mercedes programme. The Dane became a team junior in 2021. The interview centres on personal initiative and his goal of reaching the F1 grid; it does not announce a race-seat appointment.
Connecting the circuit and Brackley
In his official diary early in the season, Vesti described becoming Third Driver as closer involvement in the team’s daily work. More frequent trackside attendance and simulator duties are intended to feed useful information back to Brackley. He explained that simulator preparation for W17 had started in 2025, before he had seen the car’s final appearance.
The experience behind the role
Mercedes’ profile records the 2019 Formula Regional European title and second place in Formula 2 in 2023, with six wins that season. Vesti also completed two FP1 sessions for the team in 2023. Those milestones explain the experience he brings to preparation without turning junior-series results into a guarantee of the next step.
Why simulator work matters
APEX’s interpretation: a third driver’s value lies in repeatable feedback and how it helps engineers compare solutions. For readers, the interview opens a window onto a contribution rarely visible in Sunday’s classification. Vesti’s ambition should be read as a personal objective; a future race contract would require a separate team announcement.
