2025 marks a new year of opportunities for younger drivers or ones with plenty of experience in other categories as each team needs to give a rookie driver or drivers four opportunities in their cars during the season in F1 FP1 sessions. In previous years it had been just two, with many saving the second one until Abu Dhabi.
Two rookie drivers have already been confirmed to be running in FP1 F1 sessions across the upcoming triple-header. It would not be a surprise if more get confirmed for Bahrain later this week or next week. Younger drivers have plenty of experience at that venue thanks to F2 and F3.
Ryo Hirakawa steps in for Jack Doohan at Alpine on Friday in FP1 at Suzuka. Dino Beganovic will replace Charles Leclerc the following week in Bahrain for the opening session of the weekend.
Aside from the end of the season in Abu Dhabi, the other venues where most of the ten teams are likely to run rookie drivers in 2025 F1 FP1 sessions would be Barcelona and Mexico. The Spanish circuit is very familiar to them. Along with F2 and F3 racing there, they also do pre-season testing at the Circuit de Catalunya.
2025 F1 FP1 rookie drivers
McLaren Racing (TBA)
Scuderia Ferrari
Dino Beganovic for Charles Leclerc (Bahrain)
Red Bull Racing (TBA)
Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team (TBA)
Aston Martin F1 Team (TBA)
Alpine F1 Team
Ryo Hirakawa for Jack Doohan (Japan)
Haas F1 Team (TBA)
Racing Bulls (TBA)
Williams Racing (TBA)
Sauber (TBA)
*This article will be updated
