Puzzles for teams: where and when to deploy rookies for practice sessions?

With nine races remaining, time is running out for a lot of teams to put a driver who drove a maximum of two Grands Prix in the cockpit during two free practice sessions this season. Indeed, there are a number of races where this is impossible or undesirable, and what's more, it is still unclear who will be allowed behind the wheel.

In Formula 1, there is the so-called rookie rule, although the word 'rookie' is not really appropriate here. To fall under the rule, a driver may have driven a maximum of two Grands Prix, which aims to ensure talents get a taste of the big time. It is up to the teams to decide when to use these drivers, as long as it is twice per season per team. In theory, it is therefore possible for driver X of a team to make way for the 'rookie' twice, while driver Y does not have to make a single move.

Already three teams complied with the rules

Some three teams in Formula 1 have already fully complied with the rule in 2023, namely McLaren, Williams and AlphaTauri. They drove the first two free practice sessions of the season with drivers who had not yet driven two Grands Prix at that time (namely Piastri, Sargeant and De Vries). Ferrari had Robert Shwartzman sit in Carlos Sainz's cockpit at Zandvoort, so the Scuderia has already fulfilled its obligations once. At a later date, Shwarztman will also take part in a second free practice session on behalf of Ferrari.

Confirmation followed on Tuesday afternoon that Aston Martin will let reserve driver Felipe Drugovic drive the first practice session at the Monza circuit next weekend. Earlier, Mercedes announced that Frederik Vesti may do FP1 in Mexico. It is still unknown whether both drivers will also get a second chance, and where that will be.

The other four teams have not yet revealed who will drive where. In this respect, Red Bull Racing is particularly interesting. Normally, Liam Lawson was the designated driver to complete two free practice sessions for the Austrians. Meanwhile, the New Zealander has joined AlphaTauri as Daniel Ricciardo's replacement, and chances are he will soon have driven more than two races.

What will Red Bull Racing do?

In that case, the youngster can no longer be used by Red Bull to fulfil its rookie obligations. The obvious next step would be for Red Bull to give one or two men from its own training programme a chance, with Ayumu Iwasa the prime candidate. Having the Japanese board during the first free practice at Suzuka is not only perfect PR-wise, but engine supplier Honda will also be very happy.

Reserve driver Jack Doohan (driving Formula 2) is the main candidate at Alpine to do at least one session, Victor Martins (also in F2) from the Alpine Academy could also be an option. At Alfa Romeo, home-grown talent Theo Pourchaire (now in F2) is likely to step in. At Haas, it is obvious that reserve Pietro Fittipaldi will do two sessions.

Where can the rookie drive?

There are few Grand Prix weekends where it is obvious to give the regular driver an hour off in favour of a rookie. So at Monza, next weekend is an option, but not ideal for the drivers coming out in Formula 2. That certainly applies to Vesti, Pourchaire and Iwasa, who are all still vying for the title in the rookie class. Free practice in a Formula 1 car could cause their focus to wane from the championship battle. The same could be true for the concluding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Moreover, Formula 1 has three more Sprint weekends ahead of it; in Qatar, the United States and Brazil. The regular drivers then cannot relinquish their cockpits during the weekend's only free practice. Then there is Las Vegas, a new Grand Prix on the calendar, and the regulars will need every minute to get to know the track. Nor is the street race in Singapore a fine time, due to the higher risk of damage and the fact that the Grand Prix drivers are eager to get used to the unique track again.

The remaining are the Grands Prix in Mexico (where Sergio Perez will undoubtedly not relinquish his seat) and the aforementioned Japan. In short, it will be quite a puzzle for the F1 teams.