Audi F1 Taps Rising Star Freddie Slater for Mexico and Brazil Practice Sessions

[Source: Audi Revolut F1 Team]

Most 18-year-olds are still figuring out what they want to do with their lives. Freddie Slater already has a pretty good idea. The British racing driver has his sights set on Formula 1, and Audi is about to give him a taste of what competing at the highest level of motorsport is like. Audi Revolut F1 Team has announced that Slater will make his Formula 1 race-weekend debut during the opening practice sessions at the Mexico City and São Paulo Grands Prix. The teenager will get behind the wheel of the Audi R26 for both FP1 sessions, marking another important step in his rapidly developing racing career.

Slater became the first driver signed to the Audi Driver Development Program earlier this year. The initiative, headed by Audi Racing Director and former Le Mans winner Allan McNish, is designed to identify and develop promising young drivers who could eventually compete for the factory F1 team.

A Rising Star With an Impressive Resume

Slater has certainly given Audi plenty of reasons to be optimistic about his future. Competing with Trident Motorsport, the young Briton finished second in the 2026 Formula 3 championship during his rookie season. Along the way, he collected eight podium finishes across eight consecutive race weekends, three pole positions, and a Feature Race victory. He remained in championship contention until the season finale in Madrid.

Those performances have already earned Slater a promotion to Formula 2, where he will compete with Invicta Racing in 2027. But before taking that next step, he’ll have the opportunity to experience the speed, complexity, and pressure of a Formula 1 race weekend.

An Important Step Toward Formula 1

“We have seen Freddie making great progress throughout recent years, both on and off the track,” McNish said. “It is the right time for Freddie to step-up.” The two appearances will also help Audi satisfy Formula 1 regulations requiring teams to give inexperienced drivers opportunities during official practice sessions.

For Slater, however, this is about considerably more than fulfilling a regulatory requirement. “Getting behind the wheel of a Formula One 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. Of course, two practice sessions don’t guarantee a future Formula 1 race seat. But they represent a significant opportunity for Slater to demonstrate his abilities while gaining valuable experience working with Audi’s engineers and race team.

Audi is building its Formula 1 program for the long term, and developing its own driving talent is an important part of that strategy.