To make F1 more accessible, all teams must run a rookie driver in at least two practice sessions in 2022. So why aren't they?
Why this rule is here
In short, F1 is too exclusive. Back in the mid-2000s and before, teams used to run multiple test drivers all week in preparation for races. You'd have a dedicated race team and a dedicated test team running in parallel. This made it relatively easy for younger drivers (or anyone not on the F1 grid) to get experience of running an F1 car. But as testing bans came into the sport amid rising costs, teams no longer had opportunities to run junior drivers in their cars outside of an end-of-season test and the option to run then in first practice on a race weekend.
The problem with the practice solution, obviously, is that it costs the primary drivers track time which could compromise a team's setup or development, not to mention the increased chances of the junior drivers crashing compared to someone who's familiar with the car. Really the only time a driver got an FP1 session was sue to a sponsorship commitment (Kubica does this for Alfa Romeo) or if they were already confirmed to drive for the team next year (like Norris in 2018). Also, the top teams never would have compromised their weekend by running a different driver in practice. So for 2022 teams and the FIA agreed to mandate that each team must give up two practice sessions per year (one per driver) for "rookie drivers" to gain more experience. That means from 10 teams, there will be 20 instances of a junior driver doing first practice.
What's the catch?
Well, we are halfway through the F1 season and at time of writing, there have been just two instances so far. Two! These both came in Spain, where Nyck de Vries took over for Alex Albon at Williams and now-fired test driver Juri Vips took over for Sergio Perez at Red Bull. That's it! Now a "rookie driver" is defined as someone who has two or less Grands Prix completed. So technically, Alfa Romeo satisfies this because Zhou is a rookie anyways, so his first two races count toward this. But still, Ferrari, Mercedes, Alpine, McLaren, AlphaTauri, Aston Martin, and Haas haven't done any of their necessary running, and Red Bull and Williams still have to do one each.
To me, it seems like the first race of the season would have been the perfect candidate, because it took place at the same track as preseason testing the week before, and first practice is pretty unrepresentative at Bahrain anyways because it is during the day while practice 2, qualifying, and the race are all at night. But nobody did this. Spain makes sense because again, preseason testing was there, and it is a track that teams are very familiar with. But only Williams and Red Bull took advantage. The next round in France also makes sense, because the track is fairly wide open and usually pretty familar to most drivers. Mercedes is going to take the opportunity to use test driver Nyck de Vries here, but at time of writing, nobody else will follow suit.
I'm surprised teams have left it until the end of the season, because that's usually crunch time, and will be especially important to teams and drivers in the middle of a championship fight.
What tracks make the most sense of those left?
Basically, you want a track that is either a) familiar to the drivers already or b) has miles of runoff so the chances of a crash are reduced. Street tracks and tracks with very little runoff (Suzuka in Japan, for example) would not be good candidates. Also, there is one more sprint race weekend in Brazil, so that is off the table as well, because missing first practice would mean the driver's first laps of the weekend would be in qualifying. Not ideal. so that leaves the following:
Belgium - Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
Italy - Autodromo Nazionale di Monza
USA - Circuit of the Americas
Mexico - Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez
Abu Dhabi - Yas Marina Circuit
Five tracks with a lot of work to do among them in terms of young drivers. Even Abu Dhabi is a stretch, considering that parts of it are quite accident-inducing (ahem, Latifi).
Which drivers will the teams use?
Typically teams will have a dedicated test or reserve driver on hand who can fulfill this role. But for some teams it's not so clear-cut. Here's the most likely driver(s) each team could use:
Mercedes - Nyck de Vries
This is easy, because it's already been announced, and de Vries is already the team's test driver. The 2019 F2 champion makes perfect sense for the team, as he also drives for Mercedes in Formula E.
Red Bull - Liam Lawson
After Juri Vips' career prospects took a hit when he used a racial slur on a livestream, he's been replaced as Red Bull's reserve and test driver by Kiwi Liam Lawson. Lawson perhaps isn't having the most incredible junior career or F2 season, but he did give a good account of himself in DTM and has won races in F2.
Ferrari - ???
This one's interesting. The team's official reserve duties are split between Mick Schumacher and resident Jesus lookalike Antonio Giovinazzi. Neither of them satisfy the requirements. So, they would have to turn to their junior program, which is not currently flush with talent, or at least F1-caliber talent. They currently have Ollie Bearman, who is sixth in F3 right now, and Arthur Leclerc (the Ralf Schumacher to Charles' Michael), who is third in F3 right now. Nobody in F2, nobody elsewhere. They do have Callum Ilott, who is technically on sabbatical and is racing in Indycar, but not really in the frame for an F1 test. Also on the books is Russian(!) ex-F2 driver Robert Schwarzman, who recently had an F1 test at Mugello. My bet would be on Leclerc at some point and maybe Schwarzman, but honestly anything is possible.
McLaren - Colton Herta and Pato O'Ward
This one's all but confirmed, but I would expect to see Colton Herta do free practice in Austin, and Pato O'Ward at the following race in Mexico. Zak Brown has a real infatuation with North America and 5000 drivers under contract, so if anything McLaren is in the opposite position to Ferrari.
Alpine - Oscar Piastri
Again, team test and reserve driver and 2021 F2 champion Piastri has more or less been confirmed for FP1 outings, although the actual races where this will happen haven't been specified.
AlphaTauri - Liam Lawson and Dennis Hauger
Unsurprisingly, AlphaTauri and Red Bull split reserve driver duties, so expect to see Lawson in the car at some point. Reigning F3 champion Hauger also may make an appearance.
Aston Martin - Nick Yelolly and Jess Hawkins
I'm not too confident about this, but Aston does not really have a lot of affiliations other than with Mercedes on the technical side. Maybe de Vries will slot in here as well, but I also would not be shocked to see test driver Nick Yelolly or even W series driver Jess Hawkins make an appearance. Hawkins is the closest thing Aston have to a junior driver, so it would make sense.
Williams - Logan Sargeant
Forget Colton Herta, this guy is the actual best chance America has of getting on the grid in the near future. He's currently second in F2 as a rookie and is doing very well; Williams' owners (Dorilton Capital) are American. There is an upcoming race in Austin. You do the math.
Haas - Pietro Fittipaldi
Haas have had Brazilian-American Pietro Fittipaldi on the books for years, and in 2022 nothing's different. Is he the best driver available? Probably not, but if they are going to hand anyone the "keys" to the VF-22, it's going to be him.
It'll be interesting to see if the need to give up an FP1 session costs any drivers or teams valuable championship points. Perhaps in future years, teams won't procrastinate so badly...
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