Audi junior Freddie Slater to make Formula 1 practice debut

Slater secures first F1 appearance

Audi junior Freddie Slater makes his Formula 1 practice debut at the Mexican Grand Prix next week. The 18-year-old Briton will also drive the R26 in the opening practice session at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix in Brazil next month. Slater finished as the runner-up in the Formula 3 championship this year with Trident Motorsport, missing the title to Ugo Ugochukwu after reliability problems hampered his efforts during a disastrous few rounds late in the season. He remains the highest-placed rookie in the standings after a campaign that included eight podiums across eight consecutive weekends, three pole positions, and one feature race win. Audi makes the right decision by promoting their top development talent at this stage of his progression. Slater, who follows in the footsteps of fellow Trident F3 racers Gabriel Bortoleto, Leonardo Fornaroli, and Rafael Camara, will move to Formula 2 with Invicta in 2027.

"Getting behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car at a grand prix weekend is a big moment for me and something I’ve been dreaming of since I was a kid," Slater said. "I’ve learned a lot this year, and these free practice outings with Audi will be another opportunity to keep gaining on-track experience. Being part of the Audi Driver Development Programme has already given me some incredible opportunities, and I am grateful for their trust and support. I’m really looking forward to getting out on track: my focus will be on doing the best job I can, helping the team with its programme and taking as many learnings as possible from both sessions."

Audi fulfills rookie driver obligations

Audi must field rookie drivers during four practice sessions each season to satisfy FIA regulations. The team already assigned two of these outings to Alpine reserve driver Paul Aron, so Slater will take the remaining two sessions, which replaces the planned runs for Nico Hulkenberg and Gabriel Bortleto. To ensure they fulfill the requirement, Audi will divide the appearances between its two cars. Audi took over the Sauber team ahead of the 2026 season and launched a driver academy that relies on Slater. He became the first driver signed to the programme at the start of this year. Allan McNish, the Audi racing director and director of the driver development programme, said Freddie has made great progress throughout recent years. "It is the right time for Freddie to step up," McNish said. "These appearances in Mexico and Brazil will give him valuable experience of a Formula 1 race weekend, and another chance to continue his development before he steps up to Formula 2 next season."

Other teams satisfy practice requirements

Other teams will also satisfy their practice driver obligations soon. Aston Martin will hand its fourth outing to Jak Crawford in Mexico, joining Audi and Cadillac in fulfilling these requirements. Colton Herta will make his fourth appearance for Cadillac this weekend at the United States Grand Prix in Austin. Herta, a Cadillac test and development driver, currently sits 19th in the Formula 2 standings.

Herta will drive the MAC-26 at the Circuit of the Americas. He previously won his first IndyCar race at this track in 2019. "Driving the MAC-26 in front of the American fans at COTA is going to be special," Herta said. His latest session in Monza ended early because of a suspected hydraulic issue. Herta aims to execute the test programme cleanly to help engineers gather data for Sergio Perez, as he still targets a Formula 1 seat by 2028. He has already built a rhythm with the team through previous FP1 runs in Barcelona, Budapest, and Monza. Herta told Autosport that his plans for next year remain unclear.