There will be a veritable parade of rookies during the first free practice session of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where Arthur Leclerc will be joined by five other rookies who will be donning overalls for the first time in race conditions during a Formula 1 weekend.
This season, many teams have left compliance with the rules until the last minute, leading to this unusually high number of first-time entries. By the way, get used to it, because starting in 2025, this will also change. Due to stricter regulations, each team will have to offer two free practice sessions per driver to their new riders, which will lead to an increase in the number of new faces during FP1 on the circuits. And who will we see now?
Here is the list:
Red Bull Racing: Isack Hadjar in place of Max Verstappen
Scuderia Ferrari: Arthur Leclerc in place of Carlos Sainz
McLaren: Ryō Hirakawa replaces Oscar Piastri
Aston Martin: Felipe Drugovich to replace Lance Stroll
Racing Bulls: Ayumu Iwasa in place of Yuki Tsunoda
Williams: Luke Browning to replace Alexander Albon
