This week the Formula 1 grid heads to Bahrain for the Bahrain Grand Prix, the fourth race weekend of the 2025 season and the second race in the first triple-header of the year.
Those who turn in for Friday’s first practice session might notice something a little different: Several young drivers on the grid for FP1.
Five teams have confirmed that young drivers will be sliding into the cockpit for Friday’s first practice session, as the teams look to comply with the requirement that four practice sessions are offered for young drivers during the season. This is an increase from the previous requirement of two, a change to the rules made for the 2025 season.
Williams, Mercedes, and Aston Martin confirmed on Tuesday that they will run Luke Browning, Frederik Vesti, and Felipe Drugovich respectively in FP1. Each of them has previously taken part in practice sessions for those teams.
Two other teams — Haas and Ferrari — have also confirmed that young drivers will be participating in FP1 on Friday. Dino Beganovic will make his Ferrari debut while Ryō Hirakawa will drive for Haas.
Hirakawa drove for Jack Doohan and Alpine in FP1 last week at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Why are so many young drivers handling FP1 this week?
Familiarity.
At the outset, Bahrain was the site of F1 pre-season testing, which took place just a few weeks ago. That means the drivers are all rather familiar with the 15 turns the Bahrain International Circuit has to offer. For example, Oliver Bearman, who will give way to Hirakawa during FP1, completed 197 laps during pre-season testing in Bahrain back in February. It will not take much for the drivers to get up to speed once they arrive in Bahrain, and they will still have two practice sessions to get ready for qualifying.
Then there is Bahrain’s status on the F2 and F3 calendar. Like this season, last season saw both F2 and F3 in action during the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Qualifying for the F3 race saw Beganovic nip Browning for pole position. Browning won the F3 Feature race as well.
Both those drivers also participated in F2 testing in Bahrain at the end of March.
So the young drivers are also familiar with the circuit in Bahrain, decreasing the chances of any mistakes during that FP1 session. They’ll join the full-time first-year drivers on the grid, such as Bearman and Doohan, along with Kimi Antonelli, Gabriel Bortoleto, Isack Hadjar, and Liam Lawson.
Familiarity goes a long way on the track.