The first free practice session for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be a true rookie parade, as five other debutants alongside Arthur Leclerc will don a racing suit for the first time during a Formula 1 race weekend.
This season, many teams have left the fulfillment of the rules to the last moment, leading to this unusually high number of first appearances. Also, get used to this, because from 2025 everything will change, as due to stricter regulations each team will have to guarantee 2 free practice sessions for each rookie driver, so there will be more and more new faces during FP1 on the circuits. And who will they be that we will see now?
Here is the list:
Red Bull Racing: Isack Hadjar in place of Max Verstappen
Scuderia Ferrari: Arthur Leclerc replaces Carlos Sainz
McLaren: Ryō Hirakawa replacing Oscar Piastri
Aston Martin: Felipe Drugovich in place of Lance Stroll
Racing Bulls: Ayumu Iwasa replaces Yuki Tsunoda
Williams: Luke Browning replaces Alexander Albon
