Six rookie drivers will get behind the wheel of an F1 car at the Red Bull Ring this Friday, as teams continue to fulfil their mandatory obligations for the 2026 season.
Under current FIA regulations, each team must field a rookie driver, defined as someone who has started no more than two grands prix, in two FP1 sessions per car across the season.
That amounts to four rookie FP1 appearances per team in total, a requirement introduced to give the next generation of talent meaningful track time during official race weekends.
Ferrari's Dino Beganovic will step into Charles Leclerc's SF-26, continuing to build on his FP1 experience with the Scuderia. The Swedish Ferrari Driver Academy member, currently racing in Formula 2, already has previous FP1 outings under his belt from 2025.
Jak Crawford, Aston Martin's American reserve driver, replaces Lance Stroll in the AMR26, while Ayumu Iwasa takes Liam Lawson's Racing Bulls seat, adding to his duties as test driver within the Red Bull programme.
Ryo Hirakawa, the 2022 Le Mans winner and TGR Haas reserve driver, gets behind the wheel of the VF-26 in place of Esteban Ocon.
Paul Aron, Alpine's reserve who has a testing arrangement with Audi, drives the R26 in place of Gabriel Bortoleto, and Luke Browning, the Williams reserve and Driver Academy member, replaces Carlos Sainz in the FW48.
With teams needing to complete their quota across the remaining races, expect further rookie appearances as the season progresses.
Originally published by RacingNews365 —
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