Four teams will take advantage of the first practice session of the Hungarian Grand Prix to run a rookie driver, in accordance with the obligations imposing several sessions reserved for rookies.
Read more Paddy McNally, a historic figure in Formula 1, has died at the age of 88
McLaren, Haas, Alpine and Cadillac will thus field their reserve drivers before the summer break. The most significant change concerns Oscar Piastri, who will hand over his MCL40 to Leonardo Fornaroli.
The young Italian will have the opportunity to discover a deeply revised single-seater, with McLaren introducing this weekend a significant package of developments, including a new floor.
Track time for Fornaroli
Team principal Andrea Stella recently indicated that McLaren was also looking to offer other test sessions to Fornaroli, including with other teams. He notably participated in a TPC test with Haas recently. At McLaren, the gradual departure of reserve driver Pato O’Ward, who wishes to reduce his commitments in Formula 1 to focus on IndyCar, could also pave the way for two new appearances by the Italian this season.
At Cadillac, Colton Herta will take the wheel instead of Valtteri Bottas. The American thus continues his learning in Formula 1 after having already participated in free practice in Barcelona earlier in the year, where he had replaced Sergio Pérez. The program promises to be particularly busy for Herta, as the F2 championship also holds its weekend at the Hungaroring, with qualifying scheduled shortly after the end of FP1.
Read more The co-owner of an F1 team caught up in an FBI investigation
It’s not easy to juggle between the two categories, especially for a driver who is slow to find his feet in the antechamber of Grand Prix even if he finished a good seventh place in Spa scoring valuable championship points with a view to obtaining the Super License for F1.
Aron returns to duty in blue
At Haas, Oliver Bearman will hand over his seat to Japanese driver Hyo Hirakawa. At 32 years old, the endurance driver continues his Formula 1 testing program after a first appearance this season in Austria, where he had replaced Esteban Ocon.
Finally, Paul Aron will take the wheel of Franco Colapinto’s Alpine. The Estonian driver will complete his third free practice session of the season, but his first under Alpine colors. Until now, Aron had been loaned to Audi, with two participations in FP1 in Barcelona and then in Austria.
These four sessions will allow the teams to gather valuable data while offering more experience to their young drivers, before the championship enters its traditional summer break.
Read more Ferrari and Mercedes as logical favorites for a very strategic Hungarian Grand Prix