Frederik Vesti’s FP1 session with Mercedes was extremely impressive and could help him push for a Cadillac seat.

There were 10 rookies on track during FP1 in Mexico, including Frederik Vesti driving George Russell’s Mercedes.

By the end of practice, Vesti finished in P3, just behind Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli. Cadillac rejected Vesti for a 2026 seat, but the Danish driver may have put himself back in contention for 2027.

How George Russell helped Frederik Vesti’s Cadillac push

It was Russell who sat out to allow Vesti to drive his Mercedes W17 in practice, and the British driver was pushing to help his colleague from the garage.

According to Motorsport Netherlands, Russell was urging Mercedes to allow Vesti to show his full pace in practice in order to help his Cadillac plea.

“The last thing George Russell said affects the driver market, because he also gave up his seat in the first free practice. 10 rookies were in the session, and one of them was Frederik Vesti. 

“He got into the Mercedes and did very well with that third place. Then Russell said: ‘I gave a suggestion that, because Vesti has already done multiple sessions and had to work through the team’s programme, I asked the team if Vesti can do a performance run. So, low fuel, new tyres and then full throttle to show his potential.

“George said I really wanted that because Vesti is in the running to get the Cadillac seat in 2027.”

It seems Russell gave Mercedes the green light to give Vesti a full performance run in his car, dismissing any caution about causing damage or wrecking his weekend.

Frederik Vesti is competing with Colton Herta for Cadillac seat

Vesti’s pace in Mexico will catch the eye of F1 chiefs across the paddock, including the decision-makers at Cadillac.

But Vesti faces tough competition to secure a seat at Cadillac, including American driver Colton Herta.

Herta was also in action in Mexico FP1, and Cadillac have shown interest in bringing him in to replace Valtteri Bottas in 2027.

There are huge commercial benefits with Herta given that Cadillac have a large American audience and fanbase, so Vesti’s best chance of winning the battle for the seat is to prove he is a faster driver.

Russell certainly gave him a helping hand by telling Mercedes to take off the shackles while he was behind the wheel.