How 10 F1 rookies got on during FP1 in Mexico City

The Mexico City Grand Prix opening practice session featured 10 rookies taking to the track, highlighting a bustling FP1 filled with young talents and high-stakes evaluations. Among the debutants, F2 star Nikola Tsolov delivered a clean session to finish P12 for Racing Bulls, noting that adapting to the car's electric systems and altitude was a unique challenge. Alpine's Gabriele Mini finished P14 after being limited by a late VSC timing, while Audi junior Freddie Slater faced a frustrating session impacted by a team error involving a cooling fan left attached, restricting him to P21 with another appearance lined up for Sao Paulo. Meanwhile, experienced FP1 standouts like Mercedes' Fred Vesti impressed by finishing P3 just behind Kimi Antonelli, and Ayumu Iwasa led the rookie charge by placing P5 for Red Bull ahead of teammate Isack Hadjar. Other young drivers including Ryo Hirakawa, Leonardo Fornaroli, Jak Crawford, Luke Browning, and Colton Herta experienced mixed fortunes ranging from reliability setbacks to valuable mileage.