Meet the Mercedes F1 starlet replacing Lewis Hamilton at Abu Dhabi GP

Frederik Vesti will drive FP1 for Mercedes at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in Lewis Hamilton’s place (Image: Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team)

Lewis Hamilton is one of several F1 drivers not taking part in FP1 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with Mercedes calling up their F2 starlet Frederik Vesti to drive in his place

Frederik Vesti will drive in a Formula 1 practice session for the second time this year when he takes to the track at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

F1 rules mandate that all teams must set aside at least two practice sessions per year for rookie drivers to take the wheel. Mercedes have already done that for one of their cars this year when George Russell sat out FP1 in Mexico.

That day, Vesti drove for the first time in a live Formula One session. And he’ll pull off the same ruse on Friday when he climbs back into the W14 cockpit, allowing Lewis Hamilton to kick back this time.

Until this year’s last race, the majority of teams have postponed their required Formula One sessions. Vesti will therefore be one of at least ten rookie drivers making up a significantly altered driver lineup for the opening Formula One session of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend. All the information you require about him is as follows:

Frederik Vesti the rising Mercedes star


In January 2021, as a teenager, the 21-year-old Danish driver enrolled in the Mercedes young driver program. He had just finished his first Formula 3 season, sharing the team with well-known drivers Oscar Piastri and Logan Sargeant, who are both finishing their first Formula 1 seasons this year.

Vesti’s ascent has been a little more gradual. After joining Mercedes, he continued in Formula 3 for a second year, and his fourth-place finish in the championship the previous year was sufficient to get the Dane promoted to Formula 2.

Although his debut F2 season was quiet, he did manage to secure his first-ever victory at that level prior to making a formal announcement as a contender this year. He leads the championship going into this weekend’s final round after five victories and a few more podium finishes in 2023.

Given how big the 25-point difference is, he still has a chance to win, but it would take leader Theo Pourchaire to have an awful weekend. Nevertheless, Vesti has already declared that this season is “the best in my career” after showcasing his abilities and gaining additional Formula One opportunities with Mercedes.

Mercedes have another prodigy rising through the ranks

When Hamilton eventually retires, Vesti is currently in a great position to be promoted to Formula One. However, he is not the only player on the Silver Arrows roster who plans to run for that seat when it eventually opens up.

Kimi Antonelli, a 17-year-old Italian racer, has accelerated through the system. This year, he participated in Formula Regional competitions, but he decided not to compete in F3, instead choosing to drive in Formula 2 in 2024 for the same Prema team that Vesti is a driver for.

Toto Wolff, the CEO of Mercedes, has already expressed the teenager’s greatness. The Austrian recently declared, “We have invested in him; he is a very talented Italian driver.” “He is leading the Formula Regional championship, has won everything in Formula 4, and has proven to be a very strong competitor. It is amazing to watch.”

However, we don’t want to overburden him. Since Andrea is only 17 years old, we must allow him to reach adulthood rather than burn him. We must proceed calmly with everything.”

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