Lewis Hamilton will miss Friday’s opening practice session at the Mexican Grand Prix as Ferrari rookie Antonio Fuoco takes the wheel of his car.
Fuoco, a Ferrari Driver Academy member who claimed victory at last year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans in the 499P, will step in for the seven-time world champion.
Hamilton will return for the second practice session later in the day.
Mexico marks a return to the traditional race weekend format after last week’s sprint event in Austin, Texas.
Charles Leclerc will participate in all sessions as he looks to build on his impressive sixth podium of the season secured last Sunday at the Circuit of the Americas.
This isn’t Ferrari’s first rookie run this year. The team has already fulfilled half of its mandatory four rookie practice sessions, with Dino Beganovic previously taking part in Bahrain and Austria.
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Despite just missing the podium at COTA, Hamilton delivered one of his strongest performances of the season. He finished fourth, right behind his teammate and only seconds away from a top-three finish.
This solid result continues the upward trend Hamilton has shown since returning from the summer break.
He’s been steadily closing the performance gap to his teammate after what was a really tough first half of the season.
Race after race, we’re seeing the old Hamilton resurface as he finds more comfort with the car.
His post-race comments have got Ferrari supporters particularly excited about his potential when he joins the team next year.
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