(Motorsport-Total.com) – The rule that each team must let a driver who has not completed more than two Grands Prix drive in the first practice session twice per car also applies again in the 2026 Formula 1 season. This means: Each team must let their two regular drivers sit out a total of four practice sessions – with one exception: Racing Bulls.
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Red Bull’s junior racing team is using Arvid Lindblad as the only rookie this season who has already fulfilled the requirement himself in Australia and China, as he naturally had not completed two Grands Prix at that time.
Since Ayumu Iwasa also sat in the cockpit for Liam Lawson in Austria, the racing team is the furthest ahead of all teams in fulfilling its obligation: After the summer break, the team only has to give up one more session (for an overview of the Friday drivers 2026).
The same applies to Aston Martin, where reserve driver Jak Crawford was allowed to sit in the car in Suzuka, Spielberg, and Spa and has already completed three of the four sessions. All other teams have used a maximum of two Friday drivers.
Red Bull and Alpine have the greatest catching up to do, with only one Friday driver each so far.
| Team | Regular driver | Friday driver | Grand Prix |
|---|---|---|---|
| McLaren | Lando Norris | Leonardo Fornaroli | Barcelona |
| Oscar Piastri | Leonardo Fornaroli | Hungary | |
| Mercedes | George Russell | ||
| Kimi Antonelli | Frederik Vesti | Barcelona | |
| Frederik Vesti | Hungary | ||
| Red Bull | Max Verstappen | ||
| Isack Hadjar | Ayumu Iwasa | Barcelona | |
| Ferrari | Charles Leclerc | Dino Beganovic | Austria |
| Lewis Hamilton | Dino Beganovic | Barcelona | |
| Williams | Alexander Albon | Luke Browning | Barcelona |
| Carlos Sainz | Luke Browning | Austria | |
| Racing Bulls | Liam Lawson | Ayumu Iwasa | Austria |
| Arvid Lindblad | – | ||
| – | |||
| Aston Martin | Fernando Alonso | Jak Crawford | Japan |
| Jak Crawford | Belgium | ||
| Lance Stroll | Jak Crawford | Austria | |
| Haas | Esteban Ocon | Ryo Hirakawa | Austria |
| Oliver Bearman | Ryo Hirakawa | Hungary | |
| Audi | Nico Hülkenberg | Paul Aron | Barcelona |
| Gabriel Bortoleto | Paul Aron | Austria | |
| Alpine | Pierre Gasly | ||
| Franco Colapinto | Paul Aron | Hungary | |
| Cadillac | Sergio Perez | Colton Herta | Barcelona |
| Colton Herta | |||
| Valtteri Bottas | Colton Herta | Hungary | |
| Colton Herta |
Regarding the drivers, besides Lindblad only two other pilots have fulfilled their obligation and thus have peace from the topic: World Championship leader Kimi Antonelli let Mercedes test driver Frederik Vesti take the wheel for the second time in Hungary, and Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) has already sat out twice.
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Max Verstappen (Red Bull), George Russell (Mercedes), and Pierre Gasly (Alpine) have not yet given up their car at all.
For the rest of the year, the teams are likely to have clear preferences as to where they will still carry out their Friday stints. In past seasons, most rookies started in Mexico and Abu Dhabi, although Abu Dhabi 2026 is in doubt due to the Middle East crisis.
In Zandvoort and Singapore, on the other hand, there are likely to be no youngsters, as only one practice session takes place due to the sprint format. Also in Madrid (new track), Baku, and Las Vegas (street circuits), the teams are likely to prefer their regular drivers.
With the exception of Aston Martin, where Crawford was allowed to drive in Suzuka and Spa, the previous stints were distributed over only three tracks: Barcelona (seven), Spielberg (six), and Budapest (five).
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