Max Verstappen will not participate for Red Bull in the first practice session of the Mexico Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen will take a break during the initial practice session at the Mexico City Grand Prix as Red Bull works to fulfill its requirement for rookie runs in FP1 sessions.
Teams must provide rookies—defined as drivers who have participated in two or fewer races—at least four chances to drive during practice sessions throughout the season, with this allocation divided between two observational runs for each race-contracted driver.
The four-time world champion Verstappen will be substituted at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez by Ayumu Iwasa, who has already completed three FP1 appearances this season.
The Japanese driver has piloted the RB22 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and Monza, and also filled in for the Racing Bulls in Austria.
This will be Iwasa's eighth FP1 session overall, marking his second outing in Mexico after his run for Racing Bulls last year.
Ayumu Iwasa, Red Bull Racing garage.
Verstappen and Red Bull have experienced a revival recently, achieving victories in Sepang and Singapore, followed by another podium finish at the recent United States Grand Prix.
However, this does not imply that the Milton Keynes-based team has resolved all its issues, as poor race starts and communication problems continue to trouble the Dutch driver and teammate Isack Hadjar.
Rookies take the stage in Mexico
Iwasa's participation comes in the wake of a series of announcements regarding rookies competing in FP1 in Mexico.
George Russell will be sidelined to allow Fred Vesti to drive the Mercedes during a weekend when the Briton might witness teammate Kimi Antonelli become F1's youngest world champion.
Gabriele Mini and Freddie Slater will make their F1 debuts for Alpine and Audi, while Haas will give reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa a chance to race.
Luke Browning also makes his return to the F1 cockpit for Williams, while Colton Herta will take over from Valtteri Bottas at Cadillac.
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