Formula 1 teams are required to run four individual rookie FP1 sessions throughout the season. These aim to give young drivers experience in the more powerful cars and serve as a way to develop the future stars of the grid.
Considering the year started with five rookies starting their Formula 1 career, many of these sessions came naturally at the start of the season. However, with one race left, eight drivers are yet to forgo their car for the second rookie session. Abu Dhabi will see a rookie takeover as nine drivers fill in and taste the speed of a Formula 1 car. Here, we look at who’s participating.
Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team: Jak Crawford and Cian Shields
Aston Martin only needed to provide one rookie session in Abu Dhabi, and it went to American Jak Crawford. One of the drivers in the AMF1 Driver Development programme, he currently races with DAMS Lucas Oil in Formula 2, where he’s P2 in the standings despite being equal on points with Richard Verschoor. He was also the reserve driver for Andretti Formula E in the 2024-25 season. This weekend, he’ll be stepping into Lance Stroll’s car for the free practice session.
This week, however, the team announced that Fernando Alonso would also be sacrificing his seat in the practice session for Cian Shields. The young driver hailing from Glasgow is currently in Formula 2 with AIX Racing, and in June he did a private test with the team in Monza. Whilst not a mandated rookie practice session, this could help Shields gain a team’s backing ahead of 2026.
Atlassian Williams Racing: Luke Browning
Carlos Sainz will step aside for young British driver Luke Browning this weekend. He comes from Formula 2, and ahead of their final race, he sits P4 in the standings, just behind Richard Verschoor. This will be his third outing in the FW47, as he previously participated in their Bahrain and Mexican rookie sessions.
Being one of their reserve drivers this year, Browning has been a part of the Williams Driver Academy since 2023. In 2022, he was the winner of the Aston Martin Autosport BRDC award—an award recognising young British racing drivers. From sports car racing to single-seaters, he has a long list of accolades and will be hoping his time in the car will get eyes on him for a future seat.
BWT Alpine F1 Team: Paul Aron
Alpine will see reserve driver Paul Aron step into Pierre Gasly’s A525 at Abu Dhabi. After finishing 3rd in the 2024 Formula 2 championship, the Estonian has been the reserve driver for both Alpine and Sauber this year. Holding multiple podiums in a range of junior series, he’s a driver to watch out for during Friday’s session.
Originally, Aron was a part of the Mercedes Junior Team from 2019 to 2023. In 2024, he debuted in Formula E with Envision Racing when Sébastien Buemi was competing in the 6 hours of Spa. He also joined Alpine for the Formula 1 post-season young drivers test, and the team signed him as their 2025 reserve driver. This will be his fifth outing this year—completing two sessions with Sauber and now his third with Alpine.
McLaren Formula 1 Team: Pato O’Ward
Championship contender Oscar Piastri will be taking a step back in the first Abu Dhabi session. IndyCar’s Pato O’Ward will be taking his place. The Mexican driver is a part of the McLaren Development Driver programme and races for the Arrow McLaren IndyCar team, where he came second in this year’s season.
With success in all series he’s raced in, O’Ward is an integral part of the wider McLaren family. His debut in Formula 1 came last year at his home race in Mexico, where he completed the FP1 session and finished 13th. The 26-year-old returned this year for another FP1 outing in Mexico.
MoneyGram Haas F1 Team: Ryō Hirakawa
The oldest driver on the lineup is Ryō Hirakawa, who will be replacing Esteban Ocon at Haas. The Japanese has an impressive career in motorsports, being the 2017 Super GT champion and winning his debut 24 hours of Le Mans. He currently races with Toyota Gazoo Racing in the World Endurance Championship and is a reserve driver for both Alpine and Haas.
With experience in endurance and GT racing, Hirakawa joined the world of single-seaters and Formula 1 in2023 as part of the McLaren F1 Team. After joining the driver development programme and testing their 2021 MCL35M in Barcelona, in 2024 he became their reserve driver. This year, he was initially with Alpine; however, he switched to Haas due to their new ties to Toyota. He’s participated in four rookie FP1 sessions, and this weekend will mark his fifth.
Oracle Red Bull Racing: Arvid Lindblad
After participating in the two rookie sessions this year, Arvid Lindblad returns. This time, he’ll be taking over Yuki Tsunoda’s car. Currently with Campos Racing in Formula 2, Lindblad is set to join the 2026 Formula 1 grid.
Initially, the 18-year-old became a Red Bull-supported driver while karting in 2021. When joining Italian F4 in 2022, he became a full member of their Driver Development programme. With 22 wins throughout his junior career, the young Brit is a rising star. Whilst his outing this weekend is in the top team, it’ll be a crucial session for him to integrate with the Red Bull family ahead of him joining VCARB next year.
Scuderia Ferrari HP: Arthur Leclerc
Repeating his 2024 outing, Arthur Leclerc will join his older brother on track for the free practice session. The 25-year-old Monégasque driver will take the wheel of Lewis Hamilton’s SF-25 for Scuderia Ferrari.
Currently, he races in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup, where he finished ninth overall. After leaving Formula 2 following the 2022 season, he joined Scuderia Baldini and won the Italian GT Endurance Championship in the GT3 class. Being a part of the Ferrari Driver Academy for three years, he now serves as their development driver.
Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team: Ayumu Iwasa
VCARB driver Liam Lawson will hand over the reins of the VCARB02 to Red Bull Junior Ayumu Iwasa. The young Japanese driver joined Red Bull in 2021 and made his Formula 1 debut during a rookie practice session at the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix. This year, he’s done a rookie practice session for both VCARB and Red Bull Racing, as well as holding TPC (testing of previous car) programmes with the teams.
He comes to Abu Dhabi a newly crowned champion—winning the Super Formula Championship at the final race at Suzuka at the end of November. He raced in Formula 2 with DAMS in 2022 and 2023, coming 5th and 4th, respectively, in the standings. Alongside Super Formula, he has been the test driver for both VCARB and Red Bull Racing, as well as the VCARB reserve driver.
Both Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team and Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber have completed their mandatory rookie FP1 sessions for the year and will therefore not introduce new drivers to their lineup this weekend.
Rookie sessions are a crucial part of Formula 1, as they help teams develop their future drivers. Next week also sees the Young Driver Test, which will also help the upcoming drivers show their potential.