Austrian GP FP1: Six rookie drivers set for Red Bull Ring
NXTbets Pro | Published On: June 26, 2026
Austrian GP rookies
Formula 1’s rookie running rule is sending six more drivers into first practice at the Austrian Grand Prix, and Ferrari is among the teams making the switch at the Red Bull Ring. Under the rule, each full-time driver must give up two practice sessions per season to a driver with no more than two Grand Prix starts, and Ferrari confirmed Dino Beganovic will take Charles Leclerc’s car for FP1. Leclerc will sit out the session and lose one hour of track time compared with teammate Lewis Hamilton, while Ferrari uses Beganovic to help meet its rookie running requirement for the season. The move gives Beganovic his fourth first-practice appearance. He has already driven Leclerc’s car in Bahrain and Austria in 2025, and earlier this season he stepped into Hamilton’s Ferrari in Barcelona, where he finished eighth in FP1. That run gave Ferrari another clean look at one of its junior drivers and added more mileage to Beganovic’s growing list of grand prix weekend outings.
Williams rookie Luke Browning
Williams is also turning to its reserve talent, with Luke Browning set to take Carlos Sainz’s car for FP1 in Austria. The appearance fits a plan Williams had already set for Browning, who was due to run in both Barcelona and Austria. His Barcelona session ended early after an electrical issue, so the Austrian run gives him another chance to build time in the car and complete the schedule Williams mapped out for him. Racing Bulls will use the same session to place Ayumu Iwasa in Liam Lawson’s seat, while Haas will field Ryo Hirakawa in place of Esteban Ocon. Hirakawa’s run will be his seventh first-practice appearance, which puts him among the most experienced of the rookie and substitute drivers taking part at the Red Bull Ring. The same session will give teams another data point as they balance development work with the need to satisfy the season-long rookie running quota. For the drivers, it is another chance to work through a Formula 1 weekend in real pace conditions, with limited time and little margin for error in the first hour on track.
Paul Aron rookie
Paul Aron is set for his seventh FP1 appearance, and Audi will hand him Gabriel Bortoleto’s car for the session at the Austrian Grand Prix. That keeps Aron at the front of the rookie running conversation this season, with another chance to add mileage in a competitive setting. Aston Martin will also use FP1 to evaluate one of its junior drivers, giving Jak Crawford a run in Lance Stroll’s car. Crawford’s outing will be his fourth first-practice appearance. Together, those assignments round out a session that features a mix of first-timers and returning names across the pit lane, all under the same Formula 1 requirement that pushes teams to hand track time to less experienced drivers. The list at the Red Bull Ring shows how different teams are spreading those sessions across their lineups. Ferrari returns to Beganovic, Williams to Browning, Racing Bulls to Iwasa, Haas to Hirakawa, Audi to Aron and Aston Martin to Crawford. Each move carries a clear purpose. The teams collect data. The rookies collect laps. And the regular drivers give up a session while their squads work through the season’s mandatory rookie program.
