Vesti climbed out of George Russell’s Mercedes on Friday with the paddock’s attention locked on his 2027 options rather than his lap time.

The 24-year-old Dane posted the third-fastest time in FP1 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, less than a tenth off Antonelli in the sister car. It was his third FP1 outing of the season for Mercedes, and the one he will have wanted on Cadillac boss Dan Towriss’s desk.

Russell did not need prompting on the question of what comes next for his reserve driver.

“I think he deserves his chance,” Russell told reporters, in comments carried by Motorsport Week.

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“He’s put a lot of effort in working with our team. We all respect him very highly.”

Russell added that Vesti had been fighting hard to position himself for the Cadillac seat and said he had done a good job in the session.

Cadillac’s second seat is the open one

Cadillac debuted on the Formula 1 grid in 2026 with Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas. Perez’s future is settled: he signed a new deal running through 2029 ahead of his home race.

Bottas also arrived on a multi-year deal that runs at least to the end of 2027, but team principal Marcin Budkowski has declined to confirm either incumbent for next season, with the team acknowledging that Bottas’s pace has been discussed internally.

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That silence has turned the second cockpit into one of the loudest driver-market stories of the autumn.

Herta leads, with Mercedes pushing Vesti

Colton Herta remains the favourite for the seat, driven by his long relationship with General Motors and Cadillac F1 CEO Dan Towriss, GPblog reports. Alex Dunne had exploratory talks that went nowhere, and Esteban Ocon’s camp has been in contact.

Vesti is understood to be Mercedes’ preferred alternative if Herta ends up elsewhere, and the Dane is anything but neutral about the opportunity.

“There are discussions about a seat, and I’ve got my eyes on that seat,” Vesti said at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, in quotes carried by Yahoo Sports.

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“I believe I would be very, very good in that car, and to be in Formula 1 has been my goal ever since I started driving.”

Already racing Cadillac machinery

The Dane does not need a new relationship with the American manufacturer. On 15 October, Action Express Racing confirmed Vesti as a full-season driver of the #31 Whelen Cadillac in the 2027 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, partnered with Jack Aitken. He had served the previous two seasons as an endurance and substitute driver before taking the full-time role from Earl Bamber.

That contract is signed. The F1 one is not, and Cadillac has not set a public deadline for a decision on its second seat.

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