FIA Confirms Special F1 Test for Six Rookie Drivers at Bahrain Grand Prix
The FIA has announced that all six rookie drivers who participated in FP1 at the Bahrain Grand Prix on Friday were required to undergo additional safety testing prior to taking part in the session.
Dino Beganovic (Ferrari), Ayumu Iwasa (Red Bull), Frederik Vesti (Mercedes), Felipe Drugovich (Aston Martin), Ryo Hirakawa (Haas), and Luke Browning (Williams) all stepped in for their respective teams during the opening practice session at the Sakhir Circuit.
Before they were allowed to hit the track, each of the six drivers completed a cockpit exit test—a vital safety measure in Formula 1. The test ensures drivers can swiftly exit the car in the event of an emergency. To pass, a driver must exit the cockpit within seven seconds and reattach the steering wheel within an additional five seconds, completing the entire procedure in no more than 12 seconds.
This test is mandatory for all rookie drivers before they can officially participate in an F1 session.
Rookies Take Center Stage in FP1
These six drivers filled in for regular race drivers Charles Leclerc, Max Verstappen, George Russell, Fernando Alonso, Ollie Bearman, and Carlos Sainz, respectively. Their participation comes under Formula 1’s revised rookie driver rule, introduced for the 2025 season.
Under the new regulation, each team must run rookie drivers in both of their cars at least twice during the season, for a minimum of four practice sessions total. The goal is to ensure that up and coming talents gain essential experience in modern F1 machinery during actual Grand Prix weekends.
To qualify as a rookie, a driver must have competed in no more than two F1 races in their career. As a result, reserve drivers like Franco Colapinto at Alpine—who has surpassed that threshold—are ineligible to participate in FP1 sessions under this rule.
Instead, drivers like Colapinto continue to gain experience through testing with older aspe F1 cars and contribute behind the scenes through simulator work and factory development programs, such as at Alpine’s Enstone facility.
