FP1 for the Bahrain GP this weekend will wear a very different look. As many as six teams will field a reserve driver in Friday’s session when the F1 paddock takes to the track.
Everything to Know About the Reserves Taking to the Track in FP1 at the Bahrain Grand Prix
Six young drivers will take to the Sakhir International Circuit on Friday. This is to help teams fulfill the minimum requirement of two rookie sessions per car in 2025. This has doubled from 2024, when teams had to field a rookie for only one FP1 session all year.
As such, teams are looking to get their rookie FP1 sessions in at the first possible opportunity. The list of rookies announced for Bahrain’s FP1 session kicked off well before the weekend even arrived.
Who Are the Drivers?
Ferrari announced that their junior Dino Beganovic would fill in for Charles Leclerc in Friday’s upcoming session. Beganovic currently races for Hitech TGR in F2.
His teammate, Luke Browning, will also take to the track, taking over Carlos Sainz’s Williams for the Friday practice session.
Only mere days after announcing Ryo Hirakawa as a reserve, Haas announced his participation in the upcoming FP1 at the Bahrain GP. The Japanese driver, who had taken part in FP1 for Alpine a week ago, will take over Ollie Bearman’s car for FP1 on Friday.
Additionally, Mercedes and Red Bull followed suit in their announcements. The Silver Arrows announced their decision to field Danish racer Frederik Vesti in the FP1 session. Vesti would be taking over George Russell’s car for the practice session.
Meanwhile, Red Bull Racing will field Ayumu Iwasa in reigning champion Max Verstappen’s car in FP1 at the Bahrain GP. The Japanese driver has competed in FP1 for VCARB (now Racing Bulls) in 2024 and during the post-season test in Abu Dhabi.
Aston Martin will also field reserve Felipe Drugovich in place of Fernando Alonso in Friday’s FP1 session. This rounds out the list of stand-ins for the session.
We have SIX rookies taking part in Friday’s FP1 👀#F1 #BahrainGP pic.twitter.com/HIm77jvKyR
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 10, 2025
READ MORE: What to Expect from Ferrari in Bahrain?
Why Have Teams Chosen This Session to Field Reserve Drivers?
Bahrain presents the first opportunity to allow young drivers to fulfill the rookie session requirements.
F1’s full-time racers would be able to get up to grips quicker than at other venues. This is aided by their familiarity with the Sakhir International Circuit‘s layout, given that pre-season testing occurred here in February.
FP1 at Bahrain is also the least representative session across the entire weekend. The session begins at 17:00 local time, which is still daytime in Sakhir’s scorching desert. In contrast, FP2 gets underway at 20:30 local time on Friday, the same as the race on Sunday.
In turn, FP2 provides a more representative outing for teams and drivers, with running taking place in cooler conditions at night. This allows teams and drivers to get up to speed in the ideal conditions, even if they missed one session of running in the afternoon.
Thus, teams can also allow for some leeway in the opening session of the weekend, using this as an opportunity to fulfill their rookie requirements for the year.
Additionally, Formula 2 and Formula 3 will also be taking place in Bahrain this weekend. This rules out any concern over driver availability. It would allow drivers to easily switch between F2 and F1 on the same weekend, given the flexibility offered by their respective schedules.
This array of factors has opened up opportunities for as many as six teams to field FP1 rookies in Bahrain, an unusual sight. Abu Dhabi is usually the preferred location for teams to field rookies, as it is the season finale.
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Why Bahrain Would Be an Ideal Location for Rookies in F1
Apart from FP1 being the least representative session, the track characteristics also aid teams fielding rookies in FP1 at Bahrain.
The 5.412 km (3.363 mi) Sakhir International Circuit contains plenty of runoff areas around its peripheries. This allows for rookies to push their cars with less fear of consequences if they make mistakes.
Add in the familiarity factor drivers have around this venue, having raced earlier in junior categories. This makes it easy to see why Bahrain automatically emerges as a preferred location for teams to field rookies in FP1.
In addition, the Bahrain GP weekend would be more representative for the full-time rookies to show their potential. With F1’s rookies making their maiden appearances at Australia, Shanghai and Japan and getting up to speed, it made for a less representative trio of outings.
Bahrain, on the other hand, would see rookies at less of an advantage to the rest of the grid. Having tested at this venue in February, drivers would be able to fine-tune their skills after poring through data.
All these reasons only make the Bahrain GP weekend one you absolutely shouldn’t be missing!
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Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / NurPhoto
Recording Date: 10.04.2025
