Frederik Vesti: Meet the Mercedes F1 starlet replacing Lewis Hamilton at Abu Dhabi GP
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
At the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Frederik Vesti will take to the track for his second Formula 1 practice session of the year.
According to Formula One regulations, every team must reserve a minimum of two practice sessions annually for rookie drivers to drive. When George Russell missed the first Formula One race of the year in Mexico, Mercedes previously did that for one of their vehicles.
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 workouts. 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 on him is as follows:
Mercedes’s rising star, Frederik Vesti
In January 2021, as a teenager, the 21-year-old Danish driver enrolled in the Mercedes young driver program. He had recently 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 rise has been slightly more drawn-out. He stayed in F3 for a second year after signing for Mercedes and finished fourth in the championship for a second year in a row, which proved enough to earn the Dane a promotion to Formula 2.
His first F2 season was low-key but did bring his first victory at that level, before he truly announced himself as a contender this year. Five wins and a handful more podiums in 2023 mean he goes into the final round of the championship this weekend in second place.
He still has a chance of taking the title but would need leader Theo Pourchaire to have a disaster of a weekend, so significant is the 25-point gap. Still, Vesti has already said this season has been “the best in my career” after showing his talent and earning more F1 opportunities with Mercedes.
Mercedes have another prodigy rising through the ranks
When Hamilton inevitably retires, Vesti is now 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 inevitably opens up.
Toto Wolff, the CEO of Mercedes, has previously 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. Andrea is only 17 years old, we don’t want to burn him, we have to let him become an adult. We need to do everything calmly.”
