Formula 1 News: Young Driver Roster Update for 2024 Season
As the 2024 Formula 1 season progresses, teams are fulfilling their mandatory young driver requirements. According to the FIA rules, each team must give a rookie driver two Free Practice 1 (FP1) sessions, providing an opportunity for young talents to gain experience and prepare for their potential Formula 1 careers.
In this update, we’ll review which teams have already fulfilled their obligations and which ones still need to run a rookie in practice.
Red Bull Racing
Isack Hadjar became the first young driver to take part in an FP1 session for Red Bull Racing at the British Grand Prix, finishing 19th. The team still needs to run a second rookie this season.
Mercedes
Mercedes is yet to field any young driver in 2024, but it’s not unprecedented. Last year, the team waited until the 19th round to give Frederik Vesti his FP1 debut.
Ferrari
Ferrari has not run any rookies in FP1 this year, but the team might follow a similar approach as last season, when it waited until after the summer break to give reserve driver Robert Shwartzman his first practice session.
McLaren
With Oscar Piastri now in his sophomore campaign, McLaren will need to field a young driver in two FP1 sessions this year. IndyCar’s Pato O’Ward is a strong candidate to take on this role, given his reserve driver status with the team.
Aston Martin
Aston Martin is another team that has not run a rookie in FP1 this season. Last year, the team gave Felipe Drugovich two FP1 sessions, and it’s likely that the Brazilian driver will take on this role again this year.
Alpine
Alpine has already fulfilled its young driver obligation, with Jack Doohan taking part in FP1 sessions at the Canadian and British Grands Prix.
Williams
Franco Colapinto made his grand prix weekend debut at the British GP, finishing 18th in FP1. Williams still needs to run a rookie in a second FP1 session this season.
RB
Ayumu Iwasa became the first young driver to take part in an FP1 session for RB at the Japanese GP, finishing 16th. The team still needs to fill its second slot this season.
Sauber
Sauber is yet to run any young driver in FP1 this year, a disappointing start to the season for the Swiss squad.
Haas
Haas has already filled both young driver slots, with Oliver Bearman taking part in four FP1 sessions this year as preparation for his Formula 1 drive in 2025.
With several teams still needing to fulfill their young driver requirements, we can expect more rookie drivers to get their chance in FP1 sessions throughout the season.
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