FP1 Rookies: Who will be driving at Austrian GP

Two rookies have been confirmed so far to be used in Free Practice 1 of the Austrian Grand Prix as the sport returns to Europe this weekend. 

Feature image credit: Ferrari

The Austrian GP marks the return to the European season, starting with a double header in both Austria and the United Kingdom. The sport will then complete further European races, across the Summer break, until Italy in September. 

However, this weekend, there has already been a change in two teams as they have utilised one of their FP1 rookie allocations, as per the sporting regulations. 

The two teams in question, so far: McLaren and Ferrari.  

Alex Dunne, McLaren’s development driver, has been confirmed to replace Lando Norris in the first hour of practice at the Red Bull Ring. This follows McLaren’s earlier announcement that Pato O’Ward will partake in FP1 at the Mexico City Grand Prix, later in the year. 

Embed from Getty Images

“It’s an amazing opportunity to be able to drive during FP1 in Austria,” commented Dunne. “I’m really looking forward to getting laps in behind the wheel of the MCL39 and supporting the team with the setup for the race weekend ahead. I’ve been preparing well for the sessions, taking part in Testing of Previous Cars tests in the MCL60 and spending time on the simulator, which has been a fantastic learning experience.

“Thank you to Zak, Andrea and Alessandro for their faith in me. It’s a great step within my development with the McLaren Driver Development Programme, and I’m really excited to join the team trackside.”

In addition to McLaren’s change, Dino Beganovic will return to the cockpit of Ferrari’s SF-25, marking his second appearance since Bahrain earlier this year. 

It means for the Scuderia that the remaining two FP1 rookies will have to replace Lewis Hamilton across the season, as the Swedish driver has replaced Leclerc in both Bahrain and Austrian sessions. 

FP1 Rookies confirmed so far: 

McLaren

• Alex Dunne in place of Lando Norris

Ferrari 

• Dino Beganovic in place of Charles Leclerc

Read more Formula 1 here:

• Austrian GP: what are the timings for the F1 weekend?
• Austrian GP: thunderstorms expected ahead of F1 event
• Fred Vasseur says ‘too many mistakes’ were biggest issues at Canadian GP
• FIA reject Red Bull protest against George Russell
• George Russell secures Canada GP win as McLaren’s collide
• Max Verstappen slams ‘childish’ questions of penalty points and ban

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Kamron Kent

Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.

I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.

Kamron Kent

Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.