Six junior drivers, including three making their debut in official Formula 1 sessions, will participate in the first practice of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix tomorrow at Yas Marina.
The majority of F1 teams have waited until the final round of the season to meet the requirement of running inexperienced drivers in each of their cars, as stipulated by the sport’s rules. In line with the regulations, Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz Jr., and Oscar Piastri will all sit out the first hour of practice to allow their teams to give valuable track time to drivers with a maximum of two Grand Prix starts.
Among the six drivers taking part in the practice session, Luke Browning, Ryu Hirakawa, and Arthur Leclerc will make their F1 debuts. Leclerc will drive alongside his brother Charles at Ferrari, making history as the first siblings to share a team in F1. Hirakawa, a 2022 Le Mans 24 Hours winner and two-time World Endurance Champion with Toyota, will drive for McLaren, while Browning, the Macau Grand Prix winner from last year, will represent Williams.
The other three drivers participating in the session are Isack Hadjar, Ayumu Iwasa, and Felipe Drugovich, all of whom have previous F1 experience. Hadjar, who is in contention for the Formula 2 title this weekend, has made three appearances for Red Bull. Iwasa, a Red Bull junior, first drove in an F1 session at Suzuka earlier this year, and Drugovich, the 2022 F2 champion, has appeared in four sessions for Aston Martin.
This year, teams have spread their practice driver appearances more evenly, with a total of nine drivers participating in the first practice of the 2023 season finale. Following a rule change, F1 teams will be required to increase their practice driver appearances significantly in 2024.
Teams’ Practice Driver Appearances for 2024:
| Team | Round | Race Driver | Practice Driver | Round | Race Driver | Practice Driver |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Bull | Abu Dhabi | Max Verstappen | Isack Hadjar | Britain | Sergio Perez | Isack Hadjar |
| Mercedes | Mexico | Lewis Hamilton | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Italy | George Russell | Andrea Kimi Antonelli |
| Ferrari | Mexico | Charles Leclerc | Oliver Bearman | Abu Dhabi | Carlos Sainz Jr. | Arthur Leclerc |
| McLaren | Mexico | Lando Norris | Pato O’Ward | Abu Dhabi | Oscar Piastri | Ryo Hirakawa |
| Aston Martin | Mexico | Fernando Alonso | Felipe Drugovich | Abu Dhabi | Lance Stroll | Felipe Drugovich |
| Alpine | Canada | Esteban Ocon* | Jack Doohan | Britain | Pierre Gasly | Jack Doohan |
| Williams | Abu Dhabi | Alexander Albon | Luke Browning | Britain | Logan Sargeant** | Franco Colapinto |
| RB | Japan | Daniel Ricciardo*** | Ayumu Iwasa | Abu Dhabi | Yuki Tsunoda | Ayumu Iwasa |
| Sauber | Netherlands | Valtteri Bottas | Robert Shwartzman | Mexico | Zhou Guanyu | Robert Shwartzman |
| Haas | Spain | Nico Hulkenberg | Oliver Bearman | Britain | Kevin Magnussen | Oliver Bearman |
Notes:
*Esteban Ocon replaced by Jack Doohan from Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
**Logan Sargeant replaced by Franco Colapinto from the Italian Grand Prix.
***Daniel Ricciardo replaced by Liam Lawson from the United States Grand Prix.
With the 2024 season quickly approaching, the increased emphasis on young talent and development opportunities for emerging drivers promises to be a major feature of the upcoming campaign.
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