A seat on the Formula 1 grid is one of the most coveted spots in all of motorsports.
With only 20 drivers on the grid each season, breaking into the driver lineup is a tough task. But with numerous young drivers demonstrating their prowess in the lower ranks, finding an available seat — or even an opportunity to show you can perform at a higher level — is a tough task in the sport. While three rookies are already confirmed for next season (Andrea Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes, Oliver Bearman at Haas, and Jack Doohan at Alpine) and potentially others coming at Visa Cash App RB F1 Team and Sauber, some young drivers are moving up for 2025.
Still, the sport is looking for more ways to give promising drivers a chance to showcase their talent, and momentum is building for a post-season race for rookies following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Currently, each team is required to allow a rookie driver — defined as a driver with less than two grand prix starts in their career — to drive in an FP1 practice session during the season. Each team must allow a rookie to drive in FP1 twice a season, and each of the team’s current F1 drivers must sit out a session, so no driver is asked to sit out twice.
While this is a good step, the sport is looking for additional options for younger drivers, leading to the idea of a post-season Sprint Race for rookies, giving them the chance to build up to a race in F1 conditions.
During the FIA Press Conference ahead of the Italian Grand Prix Toto Wolff, Frederic Vasseur, and Peter Bayer of VCARB all expressed their support for the idea, with the Mercedes boss indicating support from the teams was universal.
“Well, we discussed [the rookie sprint race] in the F1 Commission and I think we’re keen in giving rookie drivers more opportunity. The stretch is that if you give it to them on a Grand Prix race weekend, it’s going to impact the main drivers, or it could impact the main drivers’ performances. If you let them race on a main weekend, it could influence the race result, which could be pretty damaging if you’re fighting for a championship,” said Wolff. “So we really didn’t find another way of letting them go through this whole sequence of a race weekend, pushing the car, being able to make comparisons. Because with a day of racing in Abu Dhabi, they’re all going to be on the same fuel. They’re all going to be on the same tire. And it will be interesting to see how they compare in those respective cars. And the season is finished. It’s going to be a strain for the team, obviously, because we have another day. But we are in the entertainment industry and that’s the best idea so far that we have come up to give them more driving time.
“I think there was no one in the room that didn’t support the idea because we have all the same objectives. We want to give them more exposure, we want to give them running time and that is where we landed.”
Wolff’s comments are fascinating in light of the first practice session in Monza last week. The team called upon Antonelli to drive during FP1 in George Russell’s W15, and after a thunderous initial lap Antonelli spun into the barrier at roughly 52Gs, ending his session and causing substantial damage to Russell’s car.
Wolff’s Ferrari counterpart echoed the sentiment.
“Yeah, with the current regulation and the three days of testing that you have during the winter, it’s not easy to give them mileage. On the top, we were thinking to give them the opportunity to do more FP1, but they are doing already 14 races in F2. On the top of this, we have the Sprint races where you can’t give the FP1,” said Vasseur. “Plus some tracks, it’s not easy. We will never give up the FP1 in Singapore or Monaco or Baku. It means that At the end of the day, we don’t have so many opportunities to give them the opportunity to test the car in the real condition and outside of the TPC system. And I think this opportunity could be a good one to also to give them the full weekend with a free practice quality and start. And so for sure, it’s not easy to organise and so, but I’m supportive.”
Bayer, the CEO at VCARB, agreed with the two other bosses.
“I think if you see today how well the single-seater pyramid is working from karting, Formula 4, 3, 2, how much talent is coming up. And obviously at the top there’s only 20 seats, so it’s quite complex for these guys to show their skills and at the same time FP1… I mean, as Toto just said, we had Kimi in his first FP1, there is huge expectation, everybody’s watching it,” said Bayer. “You actually don’t know on what tire he will go out. Sometimes there’s an accident, like last week, and then they get five minute time to run. So I think it would be great also because you know we would reach out to the younger fan base which is something that you know we’re keen to do and overall we would be certainly supportive.”
We still might see more rookies added to the grid next season, with Gabriel Bortoleto reportedly in the mix for a seat at Sauber. Then there is Liam Lawson, who remains in the mix for a spot at VCARB. While Lawson will not technically be a rookie, given his stint on the grid last year in replace of an injured Daniel Ricciardo, he would be another young driver added to the mix.
Still, breaking into the F1 grid is a tough task, and the sport is now looking at new ways to give young drivers a chance to show what they can do in a race setting.
