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Lewis Hamilton in Austin - Photo: Race Pictures
F1 News

Hamilton sidelined ahead of Mexican weekend as replacement confirmed

19:24, 20 Oct
Updated: 19:26, 20 Oct
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Lewis Hamilton will sit out the opening practice session at this weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix.

His SF-25 seat will be taken by Antonio Fuoco, part of the Ferrari Driver Academy and the team’s WEC driver, who won last year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans behind the wheel of the 499P.

The seven-time world champion will be back in the car for the second session, with the Mexican Grand Prix marking a return to the traditional weekend format after the sprint event in Austin.

On the other side of the garage, Charles Leclerc is expected to be in the car from the opening session, as the Monegasque looks to build on the momentum of his sixth podium of the season, scored last Sunday in Austin.

Ferrari has already used two of its four mandatory rookie FP1 sessions this season — one per car — with Dino Beganovic taking part in Bahrain and Austria.

Ferrari fans dare to dream again after Hamilton’s latest remark

Although he once again missed out on the podium at COTA, the Brit delivered one of his strongest weekends of the season — finishing just behind his teammate and only a few seconds shy of the top three.

That fourth place in Austin fits into a steady upward trend Hamilton has shown since returning from the summer break.

Race after race, he’s been edging closer to his teammate’s performance levels following a tough first half of the season. Here’s what he had to say after the race.

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