Full rookie lineup for Austria FP1 with six drivers left on sidelines

Formula One teams are required to have a rookie take part in first free practice four times per season. Teams have asked for the rule to be relaxed this season because of the two races that were scrapped because of the war in the Middle East.

Despite this, six teams will provide an opportunity to their young drivers in Austria in what is set to be a brutally hot weekend, with the FIA launching heat hazard protocols on Thursday, with temperatures set to hit 36°C on Saturday and Sunday.

Dino Beganovic gets his second chance in the SF-26 after also driving FP1 in Barcelona. Charles Leclerc sits out which is bad news for the Monegasque driver who will be on the backfoot going into a weekend that he will desperately be hoping for a good result, after recent DNFs in Monaco and Spain.

Swedish youngster Beganovic completed his first full-time season in F2 in 2025, finishing seventh in the standings. This season the DAMS racer is sixth in the standings with two podiums to his name so far.

Luke Browning will be hoping to get some actual running in Austria after he sat out the entirety of FP1 in Barcelona with a technical issue. Browning has been a member of the Williams Driver Academy since 2023 and was promoted to reserve driver this year.

After finishing fourth in the F2 championship last season, he switched to Super Formula, where he sits eighth in the standings after the opening four races.

Paul Aron gave arguably the star performance of any rookie driver in Barcelona, finishing sixth, nine tenths off George Russell who was quickest and nine tenths quicker than Bortoleto who endured a messy session to finish 13th.

The Alpine reserve driver was first loaned to Sauber last year, and that partnership continues in 2026 under the Audi banner. Aron got five FP1 sessions last year, twice with Sauber and three times with Alpine.

Ryo Hirikawa has served as Haas's reserve since last year, having joined on the back of the team's technical partnership with Japanese manufacturer Toyota.

The 32-year-old drove four FP1 sessions for the team in 2025, and the former Le Mans 24 Hours winner will step in for his first session of 2026 at the Red Bull Ring on Friday.

Jak Crawford will be hoping for a reliable Aston Martin when he steps in for Lance Stroll during FP1 on Friday. The American first drove for Aston Martin in Austria two years ago and made his free practice debut in Mexico last season.

In his third year of Formula Two in 2025, Crawford finished as runner-up to Leonardo Fornaroli, finishing 36 points behind the Italian driver.

Iwasa steps in the Racing Bulls car after stepping in a Red Bull during the Barcelona Grand Prix weekend. He is currently a test and reserve driver for the Red Bull teams on the grid, and has regularly stepped in for FP1 sessions since the 2024 Japanese 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 with two podiums in the opening four races.