There are moments that transcend a category and remain forever linked to the history of a country. For Paraguayan motorsport, one of those moments came in Portugal: Joshua Dürksen became the first driver of that nationality to drive a single-seater in Formula 1 after completing a testing program with Mercedes at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, in Portimão.
The activity took place over two days and had the Paraguayan behind the wheel of the W16 E Performance, the model that Mercedes used during the 2025 season. In total, Dürksen completed 187 laps and covered 875 kilometers, a distance equivalent to almost three Grand Prix.
Dürksen drove the equivalent of three Grand Prix races in a Formula 1 car
The program focused on learning various systems of the single-seater and performance runs, as well as working closely with the engineers of the German team. For the driver, who currently competes in Formula 2 and has been part of the Mercedes young talent program since this year, it was his first experience behind the wheel of a top-category car.
After finishing the tests, Dürksen highlighted the significance of the moment he experienced and stated: "This is a day, and a week, that I will remember for the rest of my life. Driving a Formula 1 car for the first time is something every young driver dreams of, and doing it as the first Paraguayan to reach this milestone makes it even more special".
The driver also referred to the sensations the W16 left him with and said: "Getting behind the wheel of the W16 was an incredible experience. The performance, the braking, the cornering speeds: everything is on another level. I learned so much during the two days and enjoyed every lap. I hope this moment can inspire young people in Paraguay to believe that they too can compete on the world stage".
From Mercedes, they also valued the work done by the young driver. Bradley Lord, the team's deputy director, praised his performance and commented: "He approached the program with maturity, professionalism, and a genuine desire to learn. Over the two days, he worked effectively with the engineering team, progressively built his confidence, and delivered exactly what we expected to see from him".
In this way, while he continues his career in Formula 2, where he is navigating the season with an eye on the top spots in the championship (currently he is 7th with 90 points with three GPs remaining), Dürksen added a milestone that marks a turning point for Paraguayan motorsport and brings him one step closer to the goal of reaching Formula 1 one day.
