Five rookies were handed an appearance in the first free practice session of the Mexico City Grand Prix in Formula 1. Two of these drivers already have their futures secure in the sport.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman – who both race for PREMA in Formula 2 – were both handed their second appearances in FP1 in 2024 with Mercedes and Ferrari respectively. The former will replace Lewis Hamilton at the Silver Arrows next season, while the latter will be heading to Haas.
IndyCar star Pato O’Ward was given a chance to drive an F1 car at his home race with McLaren. The 25-year-old finished the session as the second-fastest rookie behind Antonelli in 13th after completing 21 laps of the circuiit.
The final two rookies that took part in the session were Felipe Drugovich for Aston Martin and Robert Shwartzman for Sauber. However, the two former F2 drivers had a disappointing outing in Mexico City as they languished in 18th and 19th respectively.
Drugovich and Shwartzman’s futures are currently unknown, but after this session in F1` and with the current state of the driver market, it will be best for them to explore other options
What options are available for Felipe Drugovich in 2025?
Drugovich has acted as the reserve driver for Aston Martin since the 2022 season; the same year he won the F2 title in dominant fashion, claiming five wins and he only finished outside the points three times as he won the championship by 101 points.
The Brazilian had been hoping for a full-time seat for the 2025 season, but Aston Martin have opted to retain Fernando Alonso and team owner Lawrence Stroll’s son Lance Stroll, leaving Drugovich staring at the possibility of being left on the sidelines again.
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Drugovich has been told to ask Lawrence Stroll about where his future lies with Aston Martin, and that he should now be looking at other categories to continue his racing career. The 25-year-old’s only racing appearances since winning the F2 title have been in this year’s European Le Mans Series.
Drugovich has been heavily linked with a move to the World Endurance Championship. As it happens, Aston Martin are joining the series’ Hypercar class with their Adrian Newey-inspired Valkyrie and he will no doubt be an option for the team come next year.
The Brazilian recently had a test in IndyCar with Chip Ganassi Racing at Barber Motorsports Park, with performance director Chris Simmons saying Drugovich did a ‘real good job’ in his outing with the team. While CGR do not have a seat available for 2025, they will certainly be keeping an eye on the 25-year-old for the future.
Drugovich has stated that he wants to fight for the championship in whatever series he chooses to race in for the 2025 season. But one thing that is becoming more clearer is that that series will not be F1 and the Brazilian must look elsewhere for a full-time seat.
What options are available for Robert Shwartzman in 2025?
Just like Drugovich, Shwartzman has been left on the sidelines in F1 since 2022. The Israeli driver finished second in F2 the year prior and went on to spend the following year as Ferrari’s reserve driver, as well as the test driver for DS Penske in Formula E.
Shwartzman has been embarking on endurance racing since 2023 with the Maranello squad, competing in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup that year and collecting one win.
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The 25-year-old is currently in his debut season in WEC with Ferrari’s satellite AF Corse No. 83 Hypercar and has grabbed one victory at the Circuit of the Americas.
It is not known as to whether Shwartzman will continue in WEC in 2025 and he will be hoping to land the vacant seat at Sauber. But with the likes of Valtteri Bottas, Mick Schumacher, Gabriel Bortoleto and Franco Colapinto being linked with the team, his F1 chances look incredibly slim.
Shwartzman is being linked with the second PREMA seat in IndyCar with Callum Illot, but with nothing decided as of yet, it is anyone’s guess as to where the Israeli driver will end up in 2025.