Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS development driver Joshua Dürksen has completed his first Formula 1 test, becoming the first Paraguayan to drive a modern grand prix car. The 22-year-old covered two days at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão, Portugal, at the wheel of the team’s race-winning W16 E Performance from the 2025 season. He completed 187 laps and 875 km (544 miles), close to three grand prix distances.
Joshua Dürksen has ticked off the milestone every junior single-seater driver aims for. The Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team development driver ran a two-day test programme at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão, Portugal, driving the W16 E Performance with which the team won races during the 2025 season.
The run makes the 22-year-old the first driver from Paraguay to test a modern Formula 1 car. Earlier this year he had already become the first Paraguayan to be formally taken into an F1 team’s driver programme, so the Portimão test extends a run of firsts for a country with almost no presence at the top of international single-seater racing.
Two days and nearly three grand prix distances
Mercedes describes the two days as productive, with Dürksen working alongside the team’s engineers on a full programme. The focus was on understanding the car’s systems and on performance runs, while building up his mileage in a current-generation F1 machine.
The numbers give a sense of the workload: 187 laps and a total of 875 km (544 miles), which the team notes is close to three grand prix distances. That is far more running than a race driver would complete across a normal grand prix weekend, and it reflects how rare and valuable modern-car test days have become under Formula 1’s tightly restricted testing rules.
“A day and a week I will remember”
“That was a day and a week I will remember for the rest of my life. Driving an F1 car for the first time is every young driver’s dream, and being the first Paraguayan to reach this milestone makes it even more special for me,” Dürksen said.
He added that he was “incredibly grateful to Mercedes for this opportunity and for the faith they have placed in me”, thanking his family, his sponsors and supporters in Paraguay who have followed his career.
On the car itself, Dürksen said: “Being behind the wheel of the W16 was an incredible experience. The performance, the brakes, the cornering speeds: everything is on a completely different level. I learned an enormous amount in those two days and enjoyed every lap. I hope this moment inspires young people in Paraguay to believe that they too can compete on the world stage.”
The team’s verdict
Deputy Team Principal Bradley Lord said it is “always a special moment when a young driver gains their first experience in an F1 car”, and that Dürksen had done an excellent job across the test.
“He approached the programme with maturity, professionalism and a genuine willingness to learn,” Lord said. “Over the two days he worked effectively with the engineers, gradually built his confidence and delivered exactly what we had hoped for from him. This is an important step in his development, and he should be proud of what he has achieved — not just for himself, but for his country.”
What it means for his career
Dürksen has come up through the junior categories and is established in Formula 2, where the team says he has taken multiple wins and podiums and runs consistently near the front of the field. Formula 2 remains the main proving ground for drivers hoping to move up, and seat time in a current F1 car is one of the clearest signals that a manufacturer is investing in a driver’s longer-term development.
Alongside his Formula 2 season, Dürksen continues in his development driver role for Mercedes, supporting simulator work and the team’s technical activities.
Facts: Joshua Dürksen’s first F1 test
- Driver: Joshua Dürksen, 22, development driver, Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team
- Car: Mercedes-AMG W16 E Performance (2025 season, race-winning)
- Venue: Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, Portimão, Portugal
- Duration: Two days
- Distance: 187 laps, 875 km (544 miles)
- Programme focus: Systems understanding and performance runs
- Milestone: First Paraguayan driver to test a modern F1 car
The test took place on 22 September 2026, and Dürksen returns to his Formula 2 campaign and his simulator and technical duties with the team.
Source: media.mercedes-benz.com