Surprise candidate to replace Hamilton? 'Mercedes know my F1 focus'

Who is Frederik Vesti?

Frederik Vesti is a former Formula 2 driver and current ELMS driver. After finishing second in F2 in 2023, the Mercedes junior was promoted to reserve driver, a role which he shares with Mick Schumacher. He drove in two FP1 sessions last year for Mercedes, in Mexico and Abu Dhabi, and then took part in the end-of-season young drivers' test, where he finished third.

In conversation with formulascout.com, Vesti says that driving in the ELMS is keeping him sharp in the hope of a Formula 1 opportunity. "To be standing completely still and not actually driving, I was a bit afraid to do that. And I really wanted to continue learning and building, adding bricks to the foundation I’ve already created. If you ask any team principal if they want to sign the exact same [quality] driver, but one who doesn’t do anything, who’s just the reserve driver, the simulator, [versus] the same driver but [driving] different cars, different championships, plus the simulator, plus reserve and he’s keeping sharp driving on new tyres challenging himself, staying sharp mentally, I’m pretty sure they’ll choose the driver who continues to work on himself and continues to push the limits of a race car. That’s my mindset."

Vesti focuses on an F1 opportunity

Vesti, who lost the 2023 Formula 2 title by 11 points, is dedicated to his role as reserve driver at Mercedes. He aims to help the team out as much as possible, whilst also being ready to step in at any given moment. "My eyes are on F1. My focus is in F1, but I don’t have a seat [there] and I need to continue to work towards a seat. For me, ELMS and driving a fast race car are part of that. At the weekends where I’m a reserve driver, I have to be mentally and physically ready to jump into the car at any time. I need to be up to date on the car, on the set-up, on the direction they’re going, on the steering wheel, all these things. And [when] not driving, I’m there listening to every single meeting. Even if I’m not on track, I’m still listening to meetings from home. Then I try to understand what the problems are, and what the drivers need. Then I fly straight to Brackley and into the simulator, and we correlate to the real data and try to help the team improve.”

Will Vesti's dedication be enough to convince Mercedes? The Silver Arrows will likely sign a more experienced driver in order to maximise championship points and minimise errors, though Andrea Kimi Antonelli is also a serious option.