Four F1 teams will hand track time to rookie drivers during first practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix on Friday, with the grid's mandated summer shutdown looming at the end of the weekend.
McLaren's Oscar Piastri, Cadillac's Valtteri Bottas, Haas's Oliver Bearman and Alpine's Franco Colapinto will all sit out the opening 60-minute session at the Hungaroring, making way for their respective reserve drivers.
Leonardo Fornaroli, the 21-year-old Italian who won back-to-back F3 and F2 championships, will replace Piastri for his second FP1 appearance of the season. The McLaren development driver made his FP1 debut in Barcelona last month and has since prepared extensively in the team's simulator at Woking. Fornaroli will also assess a raft of McLaren upgrades — a new floor and revised aerodynamic parts — alongside an experimental rear wing trialled solely during FP1.
Colton Herta continues his push toward a full-time F1 seat by taking over Bottas's Cadillac. The American racer, a multiple IndyCar winner now competing in F2, made his FP1 debut with the team in Barcelona. With the F2 championship also racing in Hungary, Herta faces a tight schedule: F2 qualifying takes place shortly after the F1 session concludes.
At Haas, veteran Japanese driver Ryo Hirakawa gets his second FP1 outing of 2026, replacing Oliver Bearman. The 32-year-old, a two-time Le Mans winner and Super Formula champion, previously drove for Haas in Austria. His experience across multiple racing disciplines makes him a valuable asset for the team's data-gathering programme.
Paul Aron completes the rookie quartet. The Estonian reserve driver will make his third FP1 appearance this season — the most of any rookie — although this will be his first for Alpine, having been loaned to Audi for the sessions in Barcelona and Austria. Aron replaces Franco Colapinto in the A525.
The Hungarian Grand Prix weekend marks the final round before F1's mandatory three-week summer shutdown. Teams will be eager to maximise track time, and the rookie runs provide an opportunity to evaluate young talent while regular drivers prepare for a demanding second half of the championship.
Sources
- https://www.crash.net/f1/news/1101547/1/full-list-f1-drivers-replaced-hungarian-gp-fp1-rookies-step
- https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/f2-champion-fornaroli-set-for-next-fp1-run-in-hungary-as-mclaren-roll-out-valuable-updates.770yvF9ufpMPwYeLToYQO0
