2023 Formula E Champion Jake Dennis will be driving this year’s Red Bull car at a Formula One event, participating in FP1 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in exactly a month from now. It was first reported by Motorsport.com.
He will also be driving in FP1 alongside a fellow F1 rookie at the same time, with 19-year-old F2 driver Isack Hadjar alongside Dennis in the same session, meaning Verstappen and Perez will have a quieter Friday than usual as Red Bull fill the mandatory running for rookies in a season.
Verstappen has claimed his third successive Drivers’ Championship and Red Bull clinching their second consecutive Constructors’ title.
Photo credit: Formula E Media Bank | Simon Galloway
Dennis, an English driver, has been a simulator driver for Red Bull for the last five years, and his opportunity to drive an F1 car at a race weekend is thoroughly deserved.
He has experience in all types of racing, from endurance cars in WEC, to junior categories like F3, and sports cars like DTM.
However, his biggest successes have come in the last three seasons as a driver for Andretti Formula E Team. Despite winning only twice last season, his 11 podiums and superb consistency allowed him to beat Nick Cassidy and Mitch Evans to win the 2023 Formula E World Championship.
While there is no speculation that Dennis can challenge for an F1 seat, and he remains committed to Formula E and Andretti, this could also be a chance to prove his capabilities to the likes of Christian Horner and Helmut Marko to evaluate him.
Isack Hadjar finished P4 in the Formula 3 championship last year, missing out on the title by 16 points in an incredibly competitive and close battle all the way through the season.
Photo credit: Red Bull Content Pool
He graduated to Formula 2 this year but has struggled for pace. The French youngster is a lowly P14 in the standings. His only podium came in the sprint race at the Red Bull Ring back in early July.
The leading Red Bull junior in F2 this year is Ayumu Iwasa. He sits P3 in the championship ahead of the finale in Abu Dhabi but has been overlooked by Red Bull Racing.
Liam Lawson is ineligible as he made five starts during his period at AlphaTauri replacing Daniel Ricciardo.
