{"id":4536,"date":"2026-10-27T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/?p=4536"},"modified":"2026-10-27T15:24:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T18:24:13","slug":"mexico-gp-grid-reshuffled-for-friday-practice-as-colapinto-albon-and-russell-step-aside","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/mexico-gp-grid-reshuffled-for-friday-practice-as-colapinto-albon-and-russell-step-aside\/","title":{"rendered":"Mexico GP grid reshuffled for Friday practice as Colapinto, Albon and Russell step aside"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">News Summary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Franco Colapinto will miss the opening Mexican Grand Prix practice session<\/strong>, with Alpine handing his car to Formula 2 driver Gabriele Min\u00ec.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Alex Albon will make way for Luke Browning at Williams<\/strong>, while George Russell has already been confirmed to give up his Mercedes to Frederik Vesti.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Audi&#8217;s Freddie Slater and Aston Martin&#8217;s Jak Crawford are also scheduled for FP1, bringing the reported number of confirmed substitutions to five.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Franco Colapinto, Alex Albon and George Russell will sit out the opening practice session of the 2026 Mexico City Grand Prix<\/strong>, with Alpine, Williams and Mercedes giving young drivers opportunities under Formula 1&#8217;s mandatory rookie-running programme. Gabriele Min\u00ec will take over Colapinto&#8217;s Alpine, Luke Browning will replace Albon at Williams, and Frederik Vesti will drive Russell&#8217;s Mercedes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The latest confirmations significantly expand the number of substitutions planned for Friday (October 30) at Aut\u00f3dromo Hermanos Rodr\u00edguez. Audi&#8217;s Freddie Slater is also scheduled to replace Gabriel Bortoleto, while Aston Martin has assigned Jak Crawford to Lance Stroll&#8217;s car. <strong>At least five regular drivers are therefore expected to miss the opening hour of practice<\/strong>, with the number subject to further team announcements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Colapinto steps aside as Min\u00ec makes Formula 1 weekend debut<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gabriele Min\u00ec will take part in his first official Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend with Alpine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Italian has been associated with the team&#8217;s junior development programme since 2023 and has gained experience with older Formula 1 cars through testing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He is currently fourth in the Formula 2 championship, having spent much of the season among the leading contenders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mexico represents his first opportunity to drive a current-generation F1 car during an official race-weekend session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Min\u00ec will replace Colapinto, who will return for Friday&#8217;s second practice session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Italian explained that he had prepared for the opportunity through simulator work and discussions with Alpine engineers at Enstone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His priority will be to complete the team&#8217;s programme and provide useful technical feedback rather than pursue an outright competitive lap time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Colapinto, the substitution comes immediately after a difficult United States Grand Prix, where the Argentine retired from the race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Mexican weekend therefore offers an opportunity to rebuild momentum, although the reduced amount of practice time will leave him with less running before qualifying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Colapinto-FP3-Estados-Unidos-ES-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1020318888\" srcset=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Colapinto-FP3-Estados-Unidos-ES-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Colapinto-FP3-Estados-Unidos-ES-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Colapinto-FP3-Estados-Unidos-ES-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Colapinto-FP3-Estados-Unidos-ES-150x84.jpg 150w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Colapinto-FP3-Estados-Unidos-ES.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Franco Colapinto (Photo: Alpine)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Browning returns to Williams in Mexico and Brazil<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Williams has confirmed two further appearances for reserve driver Luke Browning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The British driver will replace Albon in Mexico before taking over Carlos Sainz&#8217;s car during the opening practice session at S\u00e3o Paulo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Browning has already accumulated several Formula 1 practice appearances and continues combining his Williams responsibilities with racing in Japan&#8217;s Super Formula championship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His Mexico outing will be particularly valuable because Williams has introduced significant technical changes to its FW48 since his earlier running.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The team implemented a lighter chassis specification during the season, and Friday&#8217;s session will allow Browning to evaluate the updated package.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Williams can also compare his track feedback with the data collected during simulator preparation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Albon will return for FP2 in Mexico, while Sainz is scheduled to complete the corresponding programme in Brazil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mercedes, Audi and Aston Martin also give young drivers track time<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mercedes has already <a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/mercedes-confirms-frederik-vesti-will-replace-george-russell-in-mexican-gp-fp1\/\">confirmed that Frederik Vesti will replace Russell during Mexican GP FP1<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Dane has previous experience with the team and has already driven the W17 during the 2026 season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Audi will use Freddie Slater in Bortoleto&#8217;s car.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The British teenager is set to return at S\u00e3o Paulo in Nico H\u00fclkenberg&#8217;s place, completing another stage of his development programme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His appearances were detailed in <a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/audi-confirms-freddie-slaters-f1-practice-debut-at-mexico-and-sao-paulo-gps\/\">Audi&#8217;s confirmation of Slater&#8217;s Mexico and Brazil FP1 schedule<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Aston Martin, meanwhile, has assigned reserve driver Jak Crawford to the opening session in place of Stroll.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Mexican GP 2026 \u2014 Reported FP1 driver substitutions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><th>Team<\/th><th>Practice driver<\/th><th>Regular driver replaced<\/th><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Alpine<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>G. MIN\u00cc<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>F. COLAPINTO<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Williams<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>L. BROWNING<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>A. ALBON<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Mercedes<\/td><td>F. VESTI<\/td><td>G. RUSSELL<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Audi<\/td><td>F. SLATER<\/td><td>G. BORTOLETO<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Aston Martin<\/td><td>J. CRAWFORD<\/td><td>L. STROLL<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>List reflects announced or reported substitutions as of October 27. It is not necessarily the final FP1 entry list.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All five regular drivers are expected to resume their programmes from FP2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why are so many drivers being replaced in Mexico?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under Formula 1&#8217;s 2026 sporting regulations, teams must give eligible inexperienced drivers opportunities in free practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The current requirement amounts to four rookie appearances per team during the season, allocated across the two race cars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mexico is an attractive venue for fulfilling those obligations because it follows a traditional three-practice-session format.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That gives the regular drivers two remaining sessions to prepare for qualifying after sitting out FP1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, the circuit&#8217;s altitude creates additional complications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Aut\u00f3dromo Hermanos Rodr\u00edguez sits approximately 2,240 metres above sea level, where reduced air density affects power-unit cooling and aerodynamic downforce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/mexicos-2240-metre-altitude-puts-f1s-new-hybrid-engines-to-their-toughest-test-yet\/\">GRANDE PR\u00caMIO examined in its technical analysis of the 2026 hybrid engines<\/a><\/strong>, the venue presents particular challenges for energy management and cooling efficiency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That makes the data collected by reserve and junior drivers important to the regular race programme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What time does Mexico FP1 start?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The opening practice session begins at <strong>12:30pm local time on Friday, October 30<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><th>Market<\/th><th>FP1 start<\/th><\/tr><tr><td>Mexico City<\/td><td>12:30pm CST, Friday<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>United Kingdom<\/td><td>6:30pm GMT, Friday<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>United States \/ Canada \u2014 Eastern<\/td><td>2:30pm EDT, Friday<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Bras\u00edlia<\/td><td>3:30pm BRT, Friday<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>India<\/td><td>12:00am IST, Saturday<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Sydney \/ Melbourne<\/td><td>5:30am AEDT, Saturday<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Auckland \/ Wellington<\/td><td>7:30am NZDT, Saturday<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The rest of the weekend continues with FP2 on Friday, FP3 and qualifying on Saturday, and the Grand Prix on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For international audiences, the <a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/what-time-is-the-2026-f1-mexico-city-grand-prix-in-india-full-ist-schedule\/\">Mexico City Grand Prix guide for India<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/monday-morning-f1-in-australia-and-new-zealand-mexico-grand-prix-times-explained\/\">Australia\/New Zealand timetable<\/a> provide local schedules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>GRANDE PR\u00caMIO<\/strong> is following every session of the Mexican Grand Prix this weekend, with breaking news, full coverage and real-time updates in its <a href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/f1\/\">Formula 1 section<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Alpine and Williams have confirmed Gabriele Min\u00ec and Luke Browning for Mexico&#8217;s opening practice session, joining Mercedes&#8217; Frederik Vesti and other young drivers taking over regular F1 seats.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1020319224,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"42wp_featured_image_caption":"George Russell","42wp_featured_image_credits":"Mercedes","42wp_featured_video":"","42wp_ai_content_disclaimer":"","42wp_is_ai_content":false,"42wp_featured_image_hidden":false,"42wp_authors_list":[{"id":58,"location":""}],"footnotes":"","42wp_hide_from_automatic":false,"42wp_breaking_news":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[625,255,132,293],"42wp_author":[58],"class_list":["post-4536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-f1","tag-alex-albon","tag-franco-colapinto","tag-gabriele-mini","tag-luke-browning","42wp_author-vicente-soella"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4536","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4536"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4536\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4537,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4536\/revisions\/4537"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1020319224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4536"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4536"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4536"},{"taxonomy":"42wp_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/42wp_author?post=4536"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}