YOUNG TALENT TIME
Opening practice for the Bahrain Grand Prix is going to look like the world's fastest creche.
Six rookies will take more than a quarter of the spots in the build-up to the fourth race of the 2025 season, as Formula One teams fulfil their commitment to run newbies in each of their cars during two Free Practice 1 sessions through the year.
The youngsters filling the seats are Dino Beganovic at Ferrari, Ayumu Iwasa at Red Bull, Fredrik Vesti at Mercedes-AMG, Felipe Drugovic at Aston Martin, Ryo Hirakawa at Haas and Luke Browning at Williams
But it's not just the youngsters who are making the news, it's the drivers who are giving up their spots and losing valuable track time – as Jack Doohan did just before his massive Alpine crash at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Last-start winner Max Verstappen will jump out of his Red Bull racer, Ferrari team leader Charles Leclerc is surrendering his Ferrari, George Russell will take a break from his Mercedes-AMG, and two-time F1 champion Fernando Alonso will also be on the sidelines at Aston Martin.
At Williams, new signing Carlos Sainz will also have to sit and watch, the same as Oliver Bearman at Haas.
But it's not as tough as it looks for the teams and drivers, as pre-season testing was run in Bahrain and everyone should be sharp and focussed without the need for any early track laps.
But that's not the case for the youngsters.
“I'm very looking forward to get some new experience in the car," Iwasa told his social media followers as he prepared to run the Red Bull RB21.
Ferrari rookie Beganovic will be busy in Bahrain, as the Swedish racer is also one of the favourites for the FIA Formula 2 championship that starts this weekend.
He will be the fifth driver from the Maranello Academy to drive a Ferrari in an official session, following Charles and Arthur Leclerc, Robert Schwartzman and Oliver Bearman.
Fredrik Vesti, who is a Mercedes-AMG reserve driver alongside veteran Valtteri Bottas, has been on the books at the team since 2021.
“I am really looking forward to getting my first taste of the W16 in FP1 in Bahrain. Being able to put all of my simulator work into practice on the track is a really exciting prospect for me," said the 23-year-old Dane.
Felipe Drugovic, the official reserve driver at Aston Martin, is no stranger to hot laps in FP1 and will be doing the job for the sixth time. He has covered more than 9000 kilometres in testing with the team.
“Felipe is a trusted pair of hands, and we're confident he’ll do a great job in FP1 and contribute to our preparations for the race weekend," said Aston Martin's team principal, Andy Cowell,
Luke Browning is not as well known as the other test drivers, but has already driven once for Williams in an FP1 session and recently cut laps at Monza in Italy driving a previous-generation car.
“I'm getting more and more confidence each time I drive the car," he said.
"My main aim for FP1 is to get more comfortable with the procedures and environment that come with Formula 1, and to build on my experience from Abu Dhabi last December. I’m excited to feel the progression from the FW46 to the FW47."
The appearance of Ryo Hirakawa comes as a surprise, as he tested with Alpine at the Japanese GP.
But the 31-year-old Japanese driver, who has won the Le Mans sports car classic, is backed by Toyota and the Japanese carmaker is a backer of Haas and strongly tipped to use the team for a return to Formula One at some time in the future.
He has completed many F1 laps, including time with McLaren, and is now the official reserve driver for Haas.
“I’m driving my first FP1 session in Bahrain, so for me to have driven at two race weekends in a row is exciting, and I can’t wait to get to Bahrain," he said.