Honda protégé Ayumu Iwasa will step into Liam Lawson’s RB for FP1 in Mexico
Racing Bulls will hand Ayumu Iwasa the keys to the VCARB 02 for first practice in Mexico City, with Liam Lawson sitting out the opening hour at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
Iwasa, 24, is a familiar face in Red Bull’s junior orbit — a Honda-backed reserve for Racing Bulls who split his European stint in F2 across 2022 and 2023 and now fights for the Super Formula title in Japan. He heads to Mexico fresh from that campaign, sitting third ahead of the Suzuka finale next month.
Friday’s run ticks off one of Formula 1’s mandatory rookie appearances. Under the rules, each car must be driven by a rookie — defined as someone with no more than two grand prix starts — in at least two FP1 sessions during the season. Isack Hadjar, Lawson’s teammate and a rookie race driver in 2025, covered the requirement on his side of the garage early doors. Lawson’s car is now catching up.
The team kept the announcement light on social media — “Ayu’s hoppin’ in for FP1” — but it’s a meaningful chance for Iwasa. He’s already had a taste this year, subbing for Max Verstappen in FP1 for Red Bull in Bahrain back in April, where he ended the session 19th. He also logged FP1 mileage with the Faenza outfit in 2024 at Suzuka and Abu Dhabi.
Mexico’s a quirky exam for any stand-in. The altitude in Mexico City (over 2,200m) squeezes the power units and forces teams to carve out skinny wings just to hit top speeds, while braking stability and cooling margins get tricky. For a reserve driver, it’s a useful stress test: lots to learn, and not much time to learn it.
What it means for Racing Bulls
– Lawson loses a valuable hour of live running, but he’ll be back in for FP2 with enough time to refine his race trim. In a field this tight, the team will be keen to keep his weekend rhythm intact.
– For Iwasa, it’s another data-gathering mission in current kit and a public reminder of where he sits in the Red Bull talent queue — close enough to be trusted, experienced enough not to make it messy.
Expect a wider rookie sweep on Friday. As it stands, nine of the 10 teams are set to field a rookie in FP1, with Sauber the only outfit keeping both race drivers in for the opening session. Mexico is the calendar sweet spot: a conventional weekend, wide runoffs in sector one, and plenty of room to breathe before qualifying intensity picks up.
There’s one more box to tick on Lawson’s side before the year ends. With Brazil and Qatar locked as sprint events — and Las Vegas rarely seen as the ideal playground for a one-off rookie run — Abu Dhabi is the obvious place for Racing Bulls to complete their second mandatory rookie FP1 in the No. 30 car.
The subtext here is Honda’s through-line. The manufacturer supplies power units to both Red Bull teams, Iwasa’s a Honda-backed junior, and Mexico brings turbo and cooling demands that are useful homework for both camps heading into the final stretch.
So, a low-drama switch with some upside: Lawson takes a brief seat on the sidelines, Iwasa gets another taste of F1 mileage, and Racing Bulls quietly keeps the regulation ledger balanced before the long flight to São Paulo.
