Scuderia AlphaTauri has confirmed Yuki Tsunoda will sit out opening practice for the Mexico City Grand Prix in place of Isack Hadjar.
It will be the Frenchman’s first taste of F1 machinery on a race weekend and comes as part of the mandatory rookie sessions, with teams having to feature a ‘rookie’ driver twice during the season.
In Scuderia AlphaTauri’s case, as it sported Nyck de Vries in the opening 10 races of the year, it only has to field a rookie driver once, with Hadjar set to fulfil that requirement.
It’s a role Liam Lawson filled last year and, in normal circumstances, would be expected to do again this year give his reserve driver position with Red Bull Racing and Scuderia AlphaTauri.
However, rules state that only drivers who have competed in fewer than three grands prix qualify.
Given Lawson’s five race run in place of the injured Daniel Ricciardo, he is no longer eligible for those outings.
That has seen Scuderia AlphaTauri turn to its Red Bull junior ranks in fielding Hadjar.
The 19-year-old Frenchman is this year in his first season of Formula 2 and has a best result of third in the Sprint at the Red Bull Ring.
He finished fourth in the Formula 3 championship in 2022, winning three races, and won twice in Formula Regional Europe in 2021.
Hadjar won’t be the only rookie in action during Free Practice 1 in Mexico City.
Alpine confirmed over the United States Grand Prix that Jack Doohan would again climb into its car for the session.
The Australian performed duties in Mexico last year as he filled the void left by Oscar Piastri.
Doohan was named Alpine F1 reserve driver at the start of this year and will also drive in opening practice at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Aston Martin and Ferrari have both already fielded a rookie driver on one occasion this year, with Felipe Drugovich (Italian GP) and Robert Shwartzman (Dutch GP) respectively.
we’re pleased to announce F2 driver Isack Hadjar is set to get behind the wheel in FP1 this weekend
he’ll be jumping into Yuki’s seat to set some laps in Mexico 🇲🇽 pic.twitter.com/bEhf1KFLFf
— Scuderia AlphaTauri (@AlphaTauriF1) October 24, 2023
