Some drivers hand over a pristine CV and wait by the phone. Fred Vesti chose a red carpet in Germany instead.
The Mercedes third driver recently opened up on the official podcast F1 Beyond The Grid about the brilliantly unusual way he forced his way into the manufacturer's junior programme. Back in his second season of Formula 3 in 2021, Vesti tracked down Toto Wolff at an event in Hockenheim, lying in wait like a journalist until he could corner the team principal and bluntly ask how to join the fold. It was a wild, unconventional approach, but it worked because Wolff respects sheer, unmatched motivation above all else.
That audacity secured him a spot in an exclusive club, a major draw for Vesti being that Mercedes kept their junior roster intentionally small with George Russell and just a couple of others. From there, the Dane ground his way to becoming the runner-up in the 2023 Formula 2 championship before stepping up to his reserve duties in 2024, handling simulator work and FP1 outings.
Now, his day job behind closed doors involves blending contrasting driving styles. Vesti has to balance the data of Russell and Kimi Antonelli, noting that Antonelli loves to throw massive speed into the corner while Russell sometimes dials it back to focus on the exit, though he admits the nuances shift constantly from corner to corner and weekend to weekend.
Being a third driver is an unforgiving task where you are essentially helping build champions while your own helmet stays on the shelf. Yet Vesti insists his Formula 1 dream is very much alive and that the team views him as fully prepared, noting the deep trust he has earned from engineers who rely on him.
At twenty-four years old, he is living and breathing like a grand prix driver, soaking up knowledge from the best engineers and drivers in the world. He wakes up every morning chasing that ultimate grid spot, utterly convinced in his heart that his time is coming.
