Nikola Tsolov impressed Racing Bulls on his F1 practice debut, finishing twelfth and just 0.126 seconds behind Arvid Lindblad. Frederik Vesti took third and Ayumu Iwasa fifth as Mexico gave ten rookies and reserve drivers their chance.
Nikola Tsolov finished his first official Formula 1 session in twelfth place, just 0.126 seconds behind Arvid Lindblad, and gave Racing Bulls the feedback it wanted.
Driving Liam Lawson’s car in Mexico’s opening practice, the Bulgarian completed 29 laps in a clean session. Lindblad finished tenth in the other Racing Bulls.
Team principal Alan Permane was pleased with what he saw, saying “the pace was there and he did everything we asked of him.”
Racing Bulls liked his feedback
Tsolov’s work included aerodynamic testing and assessing changes to the car. Permane praised his ability to recognize the differences between the configurations the team ran and explain what he felt.
That was an important part of the assignment. Permane had stressed that the session was not an audition. Racing Bulls wanted useful feedback on the car, its response to changes and Tsolov’s contribution to the debrief.
Tsolov said he arrived feeling calm, with the team helping him avoid putting too much pressure on himself. Getting used to the car’s electrical systems and engine controls was among the challenges.
“I think I can do a lot better,” he said.
The small gap to Lindblad was encouraging, although practice programs make it an incomplete comparison. The stronger evidence was that Tsolov completed his running and earned positive feedback from the team.
Vesti and Iwasa lead the guest drivers
Tsolov was one of ten guest drivers taking part in FP1, a group that mixed first-time participants with experienced reserves.
Frederik Vesti, Mercedes: Third overall and only 0.074 seconds behind Kimi Antonelli. Vesti completed 24 laps, with Mercedes praising his execution of the planned program.
Ayumu Iwasa, Red Bull: Fifth after 23 laps, finishing ahead of Isack Hadjar. Hadjar’s power-unit problems affected that comparison, but Red Bull still praised Iwasa’s pace and testing work.
How the other drivers performed
Gabriele Minì, Alpine: Fourteenth after 22 laps on his first official F1 session appearance. His work included aerodynamic testing and data collection, with Minì acknowledging there was more lap time available.
Ryō Hirakawa, Haas: Fifteenth with 30 laps completed. His weekend has since become considerably bigger, with Haas calling him up to replace Esteban Ocon for the remaining sessions and his first Grand Prix start.
Leonardo Fornaroli, McLaren: Seventeenth after 25 laps. Low grip and difficulty warming the front tires made his session challenging, with a Turn 1 lockup compromising his soft-tire run.
Jak Crawford, Aston Martin: Nineteenth after a battery issue ended his session early. He completed 15 laps before stopping on track.
Luke Browning, Williams: Twentieth, but with 33 laps completed, the most of the guest drivers. His session supplied substantial mileage for Williams’ testing work.
Freddie Slater, Audi: Twenty-first after 14 laps on his official F1 session debut. A cooling fan left attached to the car disrupted his running, making the final position a poor measure of what he could deliver.
Colton Herta, Cadillac: Twenty-second with 30 laps completed. His focus remained on learning the car and a new circuit, including the demands created by Mexico’s altitude.
Tsolov said he would spend the rest of the weekend with Racing Bulls, continuing to learn from the team after an encouraging first session.
