George Russell has confirmed that Mercedes’ Formulation 1 reserve driver Frederik Vesti is eyeing a seat with Cadillac for the 2027 season.
The Dane made his third FP1 outing of the 12 months for the Silver Arrows on Friday afternoon, forward of this weekend’s Mexico Metropolis Grand Prix.
Vesti was, for the primary time, taking seat of Russell, having deputised for Andrea Kimi Antonelli in Barcelona and Hungary, and impressed with P3 within the session, lower than a tenth of a second off the Italian title-leader.
The 24-year-old has hyperlinks to Cadillac, having been signed for its #31 automobile alongside Earl Bamber and Jack Aitken within the IMSA sequence in a full-time capability for subsequent 12 months.
Its F1 squad, alternatively, is on the centre of ongoing hypothesis as as to whether Valtteri Bottas will stay with the Silverstone-based outfit for 2027.
Third driver Colton Herta made one other FP1 look himself, for Cadillac, in Mexico, and is hotly rumoured to be within the body for the seat, ought to it determine to half methods with Bottas.
The American is now only one level in need of gaining an FIA tremendous licence, which might qualify him for an F1 race seat.
However Vesti, talking as a visitor commentator for FP2 with Sky Sports activities F1, revealed that he’s competing for the Finn’s seat, too.
“There’s little doubt I’ve obtained my eyes on that seat and it could be such a privilege to step into it,” he stated.
Vesti ‘deserves his likelihood’, claims George Russell
Talking within the post-FP2 media pen on the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguiez circuit, Russell, when requested for his ideas on Vesti’s efficiency in, reiterated his declare.
“Yeah, he did a very good job. I do know he’s actually preventing onerous to have the ability to be shot deliberately off the Cadillac seat,” he stated.
Russell added that his work inside the Brackley-based squad his massively appreciated and was eager for him to have an opportunity to show his price for a race seat, albeit with a rival crew.
“I believe he deserves his likelihood,” the Brit continued. “He’s put a number of effort in working with our crew. All of us respect him very extremely.
“Most F1 periods that he’s achieved, he’s had the brunt of the work and probably not getting the efficiency runs in. So I believe it was essential for us as a crew.
“I stated to the crew [that] I need to be sure that he will get a chance to indicate what he can do. That’s the least that we will do. So we’ll give our greatest.”
In response to each Vesti and Russell’s feedback, a Cadillac spokesperson advised Motorsport Week: “There may be a number of drivers being linked to the CF1 mission which is a testomony to the progress of the crew and its daring ambition.
“This week is all about Checo – his house race, present run and three hundredth GP. We don’t have anything to announce presently.”
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