Freddie Slater, who was previously a student at the Bromsgrove School, appeared at his second Formula One race weekend for the Audi F1 Team in the first Free Practice session at the Sao Paolo Grand Prix.

The first Free Practice session took place on Friday (November 6).

During the session, the 18-year-old completed seven laps in the Audi R26 F1 car before coming to a halt on the side of the Interlagos track.

This led to the session being red-flagged whilst Slater's Audi was cleared from the circuit.

A tough break for Freddie Slater 😩 The rookie had limited running in Mexico practice, and now FP1 in Sao Paulo #F1 #BrazilGP https://t.co/SrWgs3kPum

— Formula 1 (@F1) November 6, 2026

Slater finished the practice session with a best time of 1:14.966, 3.249 seconds behind the fastest driver Lando Norris, who went on to win the Grand Prix on Sunday (November 8).

Despite being forced out of the practice session, Slater reflected on the 'amazing experience' of making his F1 debut.

He said: "Of course, missing a session is frustrating as a driver because you just want to drive; that's what we love to do, but I know that's part of motorsport and these things can happen.

"On the other hand, the laps I did were positive.

"On the hard tyre, I got some good, valuable lessons, so I'll take that with me and move on.

"It's been an amazing experience over these two weekends, and I am grateful to Audi Revolut F1 Team for it.

"I've learned so much already, both from the team and about how these cars work, and it's been a great opportunity to gain valuable experience that will help me in the future."

Slater's second F1 outing came a week after he made his debut in the first Free Practice session at the Mexico City GP.

During his debut session at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, the 18-year-old did 14 laps and recorded a fastest time of 1.20.940, which saw him finish in 21st place.

Slater's fastest time was 2.817 seconds slower than Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who topped the session with a time of 1.18.128.

Earlier this year, the 18-year-old became the first driver to be signed to the Audi Driver Development Programme, which the F1 team say is "supporting his progression through the junior ranks towards the pinnacle of motorsport".

Slater's F1 bow came after a strong rookie Formula 3 campaign, where he finished runner-up in the championship with Trident Motorsport.

With eight podiums in eight consecutive weekends, three pole positions and one Feature Race win, Slater remained in the title fight until the Championship finale in Madrid in September.

He will step up to Formula 2 with Invicta Racing in 2027.