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F2 title challenger Frederik Vesti will take part in his first official F1 outing later this year.
Mercedes junior Vesti will drive the W14 during the first practice session for the Mexico City Grand Prix in October. The likelihood is he will replace George Russell.
The 21-year-old Dane drove the Mercedes W13 in the young driver test in Abu Dhabi at the end of last season and impressed the team with his composure, understanding, and track craft.
This season, Vesti is currently second in the F2 standings, 12 points behind championship leader Théo Pourchaire following a disappointing recent round in Belgium in which he crashed on the way to the grid ahead of Sunday’s feature race.
Prior to that blip, Vesti has won on four occasions this year and scored three additional podiums.
“I’m incredibly proud to be doing the FP1 session in Mexico City with the team – it’s a dream come true,” said Vesti.
“To think in less than two months I’ll be doing my first official Formula 1 session with Mercedes is amazing. This has been my dream since I was very young and something I’ve been fighting for throughout my whole junior career.
“It’s taken a lot of hard work, and this is a very important step for me on my journey. To be able to develop myself in an F1 car alongside some of the best drivers in the world is something I’m looking forward to.
“I want to thank Mercedes for this incredible opportunity, as well as my sponsors and manager for always believing in me. I can’t wait to be driving the W14 for the first time.”
Despite Sunday’s incident at Spa-Francorchamps, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff feels Vesti has “executed an impressive Formula 2 campaign so far this season”.
“Driving in an FP1 session is the next step in his development and we’re looking forward to giving him that opportunity.
“He is a talented young driver, not only quick but thoughtful, and he understands exactly what the team is looking for from him in the car.
“I am sure he will perform well and provide a solid starting point for our work over the weekend.”
Trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin claims Vesti “acquitted himself faultlessly in the young driver test last year”.
As a key part of Mercedes’ simulator development and set-up programme, Shovlin outlined what he will be expecting of Vesti in Mexico.
He said: “It will be another useful step in his development and prove useful in being able to correlate the real-world car with his work back in Brackley.”
