Summary
Joshua Dürksen completed a two-day Formula 1 test in Mercedes’ 2025 W16 at Portimão, covering 187 laps and 875 kilometres. Mercedes describes him as the first Paraguayan to drive a modern F1 car.
Joshua Dürksen, a development driver for the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula 1 team, completed his first F1 test over two days at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão, Portugal. Mercedes said on 22 September 2026 that the 22-year-old drove its W16 E Performance, the car the team used to win races in the 2025 season.
Dürksen covered 187 laps and 875 kilometres—nearly three Grand Prix distances—during a programme focused on learning the car’s systems and completing performance runs. He worked with the team’s engineers across the two days.
A first for a Paraguayan driver
Mercedes describes Dürksen as the first Paraguayan to drive a modern Formula 1 car. The team also says he became the first Paraguayan driver officially included in an F1 team’s programme earlier in 2026. The test therefore marked both a career milestone for Dürksen and a national first, according to the team.
Dürksen said the car’s performance, braking and cornering speeds were unlike what he had experienced before, and that he learned a great deal during the test. For a development driver, time in an F1 car provides direct experience with its systems and performance—complementing simulator work and other technical duties.
Building experience alongside Formula 2
Dürksen has progressed through the junior racing categories and competes in Formula 2. Mercedes says he has earned multiple wins and podium finishes there, while continuing his development-driver work with the F1 team, including support for simulator development and technical activities.
The Portimão test adds track experience in a modern F1 car to those responsibilities. Mercedes deputy team principal Bradley Lord said Dürksen worked with the engineers, built confidence progressively and completed the programme as expected.