Champions on the sidelines: Rookies take over Barcelona, Herta to drive first miles in F1

While teams would like to relax the rookie regulations this year due to the unexpected changes to this year's calendar, many are using the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix to give drivers with fewer than two Formula 1 Grands Prix under their belts a chance in FP1.

The full-time drivers missing out on the first 60 minutes will not have to worry too much either, as this will not be the first time they have driven at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya this year after the first pre-season test also took place at the track near Montmeló in January.Wi

The Danish driver joined the Mercedes junior programme in 2021. After finishing second in the 2024 Formula 2 Championship, Vesti also became the team’s reserve driver that season. For the 2026 campaign, he replaced Valtteri Bottas as Mercedes' third driver after the Finn joined Cadillac.

Outside of his Formula 1 duties, Vesti competes in the IMSA SportsCar Championship for Cadillac Whelen in the GTP class. He finished second in the 24 Hours of Daytona and third in the 12 Hours of Sebring this year. He completed his first FP1 session with Mercedes at the 2023 Mexico City Grand Prix, and Barcelona will mark his fifth appearance in an official Formula 1 session.

Having won the Formula 3 title in 2024 and the Formula 2 championship in 2025, the Italian talent graduated to Formula 1 as a McLaren reserve driver. The role was announced in 2026 after he joined the team's junior academy. This will be his first FP1 outing, having previously completed a TPC test at the same circuit in March. He will sit in Lando Norris' MCL40.

After completing his first full-time season in Formula 2 in 2025, the Swedish youngster returned to the series for the 2026 campaign as well. Beganovic finished seventh in the standings last year, and he is currently sixth in the championship with two podiums to his name.

Beganovic joined the Ferrari Driver Academy back in 2020, and completed two FP1 outings last year in Bahrain and Austria. This will be the first time he gets to drive the SF-26 on track.

Iwasa is a familiar name now among the list of rookie drivers. He is currently a test and reserve driver for the Red Bull teams on the grid, and on this occasion, he will replace Monaco GP podium sitter Isack Hadjar.

The Japanese driver completed his first FP1 session in 2024 at the Japanese Grand Prix with Racing Bulls, and featured in a further three sessions with the Faenza-based team. He has also already driven for Red Bull Racing once in FP1, at the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix.

After winning the Super Formula title last year, Iwasa continues to race in the same series in 2026 as well. He currently sits second in the standings.

Browning became a member of the Williams Driver Academy in 2023 and was promoted to reserve driver for the 2026 season. He completed his first FP1 outing with Williams at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and has since participated in three more FP1 sessions. After finishing fourth in the Formula 2 championship in 2025, he switched to Super Formula, where he is now a rival to Iwasa. Following four rounds, Browning sits eighth in the standings.

Alpine reserve driver Paul Aron was first loaned to Sauber during the 2025 season, and the partnership will continue in 2026 under Audi's banner. The Estonian is set to take part in FP1 outings for the German manufacturer in both Barcelona and Austria. Aron drove for Sauber at Silverstone and the Hungaroring last year, while also completing three FP1 appearances with Alpine.

Colton Herta is set to complete his first laps in an official Formula 1 session in Barcelona, taking over Sergio Perez’s Cadillac for FP1. The American is currently in his first Formula 2 season after making the switch from IndyCar. He sits 13th in the standings, having scored 16 points so far. His best results came in the feature races in Melbourne and Montreal, where he finished seventh on both occasions.