Every rookie taking part in FP1 at the Barcelona Grand Prix as Mercedes and Ferrari bench drivers

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Several Formula 1 teams will begin fulfilling their rookie practice quotas during FP1 at the 2026 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, so here is every driver featuring on Friday.

F1 obliges all 11 teams to run a rookie driver in each of their cars during a practice session at least twice per season. The rule was first introduced in 2022 to oblige teams to field a rookie during a practice session at least once per car each year, but F1 grew the quota from 2025.

The idea behind the rule is to offer drivers with no more than two Grand Prix starts a chance to gain experience at the wheel of a Formula 1 car during a practice session. Each team can pick at which race they fulfil their quota, as long as it is achieved before the season finishes.

A wealth of teams have decided to make the Barcelona-Catalunya GP the first race at which they fulfil part of their rookie quotas in FP1 this Friday. The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is a very familiar track for the teams, who have had to adapt to a new regulations set this year.

With that in mind, F1 Oversteer runs through every rookie driver taking part in FP1 on Friday at the Barcelona-Catalunya GP. The race held in Montmelo has adopted a new name in 2026 as Formula 1 has given Madrid the naming rights for the Spanish Grand Prix going forward.

Kimi Antonelli is going for his sixth straight win at the Barcelona GP. Who’s your pick for the top step of the podium?

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Who are the rookie drivers taking part in FP1 at the 2026 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix?

As of the time of writing, a total of seven F1 teams will enter rookie drivers during FP1 at the 2026 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix. This includes an F1 practice debut for Colton Herta, as Cadillac will drop Sergio Perez for the hour to run the American now racing in Formula 2.

Reigning F2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli will also make his F1 weekend debut for McLaren in place of the reigning F1 champion Lando Norris at the Barcelona-Catalunya GP. Herta and Fornaroli are the only rookie drivers getting their F1 weekend debuts in Barcelona this week.

Who is Lando Norris’ replacement at McLaren for FP1 in Barcelona?

Fornaroli joined McLaren as their official F1 reserve driver in December 2025 on the back of the 21-year-old Italian winning the F2 title as a rookie. The Piacenza, Emilia-Romagna native did the junior series double, after also winning the 2024 Formula 3 title in his rookie season.

McLaren will now award Fornaroli his F1 weekend debut during FP1 at the 2026 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix in place of Norris. Oscar Piastri will drive in the first practice session in Montmelo as normal, with Norris then returning to the #1 MCL40 for FP2 in the afternoon.

Dino Beganovic will replace Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari for FP1 in Barcelona

The Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix will not return until 2028. Will you miss the iconic circuit next year?

Barcelona and Spa will alternate each year through 2032

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Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton will watch FP1 at the Barcelona-Catalunya GP from the Ferrari garage, as the Scuderia will put Dino Beganovic in the #44 SF-26. Beganovic will double his time at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, as he will also be racing in Formula 2.

Beganovic took part in two FP1 sessions for Ferrari during the 2025 season, with outings at the Bahrain Grand Prix and Austrian Grand Prix in place of Charles Leclerc. The Swedish star currently sits sixth in the 2026 F2 standings, but he is 20 points shy of first after four rounds.

Who is Kimi Antonelli’s replacement at Mercedes for FP1 in Barcelona?

Mercedes will sideline current F1 drivers’ championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli during FP1 at the Barcelona-Catalunya GP to fulfil half of their rookie practice quota for his car with development driver Frederik Vesti. It will be the Dane’s fifth time featuring in an FP1 session.

A fifth career FP1 appearance will also await Luke Browning at the Barcelona-Catalunya GP, with the Briton deputising for Alex Albon at Williams. It is a big weekend for Albon in Spain, as he will go clear of Nigel Mansell for the most Grand Prix starts for Williams with his 96th.

Ayumu Iwasa will also make his sixth FP1 appearance at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix in place of Isack Hadjar for Red Bull. A sixth FP1 appearance even awaits Paul Aron, with the Estonian deputising at Audi for Nico Hulkenberg as part of an ongoing loan deal from Alpine.

Colton Herta will make his F1 FP1 debut with Cadillac at the Barcelona-Catalunya GP

Should Cadillac give Colton Herta a shot next year?

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American racing star Herta will make his Formula 1 practice debut in FP1 at the Barcelona-Catalunya GP in place of Mexican ace Perez at Cadillac. It is an open secret that Herta and Cadillac are eager to groom him for a future F1 seat, which saw him switch to F2 this year.

Along with Beganovic, Herta is the only rookie driver set to take part during FP1 at the 2026 Barcelona-Catalunya who is also competing in Formula 2 this weekend in Spain. Herta opted to leave his position as a leading IndyCar driver to enter F2 to help his hopes of racing in F1.

Herta does not currently hold an FIA superlicence that is required to race in F1, but driving in FP1 sessions for a minimum of 100km (62mi) will merit one point toward qualifying for a race superlicence. A driver can hold a maximum of 10 qualifying points through F1 FP1 outings.