Formula 1 competes this weekend in the Hungarian GP, the last stop before the summer break. And for the first free practice on Friday, 24, four rookie drivers will take over the cars of the teams’ regulars.
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McLaren, Haas, Alpine, and Cadillac are the four teams that have fielded rookie drivers for the activity that opens the 11th round of the 2026 season. In the second practice of the day, all regular drivers will be back on track.
At the Woking team, Oscar Piastri will make way for Formula 2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli. The Italian has already had some mileage with the MCL40 by participating in a previous car test in Barcelona and having driven in FP1 of the GP at the same circuit.
Meanwhile, at the United States team, Colton Herta makes another appearance in a free practice session. After driving in Spain, the American now takes over Valtteri Bottas’ car for FP1 at Hungaroring.
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Meanwhile, at Haas, Oliver Bearman will make way for Ryo Hirakawa during the first free practice in Hungary. The Japanese driver already drove in F1 in 2026 at the Austrian GP a few weeks ago.
Finally, Paul Aron, Alpine’s reserve driver, will also be present in the session. The competitor drove with Audi in Barcelona and Austria, and now returns to the cockpit, but with the French team replacing Franco Colapinto.
Below, check out the rookie drivers who will drive in FP1 of the F1 Hungarian GP:
McLaren – Leonardo Fornaroli in place of Oscar Piastri;
Cadillac – Colton Herta in place of Valtteri Bottas;
Haas – Ryo Hirakawa in place of Oliver Bearman;
Alpine – Paul Aron in place of Franco Colapinto.
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