As the Formula 1 circus arrives in Barcelona for the Spanish Grand Prix, FP1 on Friday morning looks nothing like a regular practice session. Seven teams are handing their cars over to junior, reserve and test drivers, all of them hungry to show they belong on this grid. This is the mandatory rookie FP1 rule in action, and in 2026 the talent pool is seriously impressive. Let us go trough each one of them.
With around 50 minutes still remaining in the session, here is how the young drivers are stacking up against the regular race drivers on a very hot Barcelona afternoon, track temperature hitting 49°C.
Final FP1 standings:
| Pos | Driver | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Russell (Mercedes) | 1:16.363 | Leader |
| 2 | Piastri (McLaren) | 1:16.566 | +0.203 |
| 3 | Leclerc (Ferrari) | 1:16.883 | +0.520 |
| 4 | Verstappen (Red Bull) | 1:17.047 | +0.684 |
| 5 | Fornaroli (McLaren reserve) | 1:17.216 | +0.853 |
| 6 | Aron (Audi/Alpine reserve) | 1:17.321 | +0.958 |
| 7 | Lawson (Racing Bulls) | 1:17.472 | +1.109 |
| 8 | Beganovic (Ferrari reserve) | 1:17.778 | +1.415 |
| 9 | Lindblad (Racing Bulls) | 1:17.804 | +1.441 |
| 14 | Iwasa (Red Bull reserve) | 1:18.298 | +1.935 |
| 15 | Vesti (Mercedes reserve) | 1:18.365 | +2.002 |
| 21 | Herta (Cadillac reserve) | 1:20.697 | +4.334 |
| 22 | Browning (Williams reserve) | no time | n/a |
Conditions are making life hard for everybody. Air temperature is 29°C and track temperature has reached 49°C, with a 6.1 km/h east wind. Tyre management will be a real challenge across the hour.
Colton Herta, Cadillac, Replacing Sergio Perez
This is the big one. Colton Herta steps into a Formula 1 car for the very first time in an official Grand Prix weekend session, and all eyes are on the American.
Herta is not your typical junior driver. He is 25 years old, with nine IndyCar wins and 16 pole positions to his name, including being the youngest ever race winner and pole sitter in IndyCar history. For seven years he was one of the best drivers in American open wheel racing. But his dream was always Formula 1.
The problem was always superlicence points. Herta came agonizingly close to an F1 seat multiple times, and there was serious interest from several teams over the years, but the points were not there to make it happen. So in a bold and somewhat unprecedented move, the 2024 IndyCar runner up quit the series at the end of last year, signed as a test and development driver with Cadillac, and joined the Hitech team in Formula 2 for 2026.
Cadillac team boss Towriss was very clear when asked if Herta has a real chance at a 2027 seat: “I’m confident Colton will get his shot, but he’s got to earn it, right? He’s taking that risk. He chose something that’s a very uncomfortable situation. He’s going to grow tremendously, and he’s got a big opportunity in front of him.”
The honest truth is that his F2 season has been far from stellar so far, and he sits 13th in the standings. But this is his first ever season in European racing, adapting to Pirelli tyres and circuits he has never seen before. Today in Barcelona is his first public audition in Cadillac colours, and potentially the start of the path that leads him to a race seat in 2027, most likely replacing either Perez or Bottas.
Pato O’Ward, himself no stranger to the F1 dream, was blunt about Herta’s situation: “I’d be shocked to not see him in a Formula 1 seat in 2027.” That says everything.
In the live session he is sitting P12 with a 1:22.665, around 5.2 seconds off the pace at the top and still on a current lap as this was captured. The gap is not small, but context matters enormously here. This is his first ever lap in a Formula 1 car in a race weekend environment, on a 49°C track, with no prior reference data. Teams will not be judging him on raw lap time today, they will be looking at how he adapts, how clean his laps are and the quality of his feedback.
Dino Beganovic, Ferrari, Replacing Lewis Hamilton
This is Dino Beganovic’s third FP1 appearance in a Ferrari, and by now the 22 year old Swede is starting to look very comfortable in these situations.
Born in Linköping to parents who emigrated from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Beganovic grew up watching Michael Schumacher on television with his father, and dreamed of one day driving for Ferrari. He joined the Ferrari Driver Academy all the way back in 2020, and has built a solid and consistent career path, winning the Formula Regional European Championship in 2022 before spending two seasons in F3 and then stepping up to F2.
Four rounds into 2026, Beganovic sits sixth in the F2 championship with 43 points, two podiums and a pole position. His season has been hindered by reliability issues in crucial races. But he arrived in Barcelona with good momentum, having secured a hard-fought podium in Monaco last weekend with a thrilling last-lap overtake for P3, his second top three finish of the year.
In the live session he is currently sitting P9 with a 1:21.012, which puts him 3.6 seconds off the pace of Russell at the top. Crucially, he was still on a timed lap mid-sector when this snapshot was taken, meaning his time could improve. For a rookie in an unfamiliar car on a very hot track, P9 at this stage is a solid and respectable position.
The question everybody is asking is whether Beganovic is on the list for a Ferrari race seat in 2027 or beyond. Ferrari have Hamilton and Leclerc locked in for now, so there is no obvious opening. But if a seat opens up anywhere in the paddock, you can be sure the Scuderia will be working hard to find a home for one of their most promising academy products in years.
Leonardo Fornaroli, McLaren, Replacing Lando Norris
This is perhaps the most anticipated FP1 debut of the weekend after Herta’s. Leonardo Fornaroli is the reigning Formula 2 champion, and he did something only a handful of drivers have ever done, winning both the F3 and F2 titles in consecutive rookie seasons.
The 21-year-old Italian from Piacenza followed in the footsteps of drivers like Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Oscar Piastri by winning the F2 title in 2025. Despite that, he was unable to find a place on the Formula 1 grid for 2026, joining McLaren’s junior scheme at the end of last year.
He has already carried out an extensive testing program with McLaren’s 2023 car at Barcelona, Silverstone and COTA. But this is the first time he will drive a 2026 generation car in a live race weekend environment. He takes over from Lando Norris, the reigning world champion.
In the current session he is still on an out lap with no time set yet, which makes sense for a driver getting his first feel of this generation of car. From the team radio visible on screen, McLaren are feeding Piastri a lot of brake and front wing data, suggesting they are gathering as much setup information as possible. Fornaroli will benefit from all that when his timed laps begin.
For a driver of his caliber, without a race seat, there is clearly pressure to perform. McLaren have Norris and Piastri locked in for the forseeable future. But in 2027 and beyond, things can change quickly, and Fornaroli needs to be ready.
Ayumu Iwasa, Red Bull, Replacing Isack Hadjar
Ayumu Iwasa is the most experienced of all the young drivers on track today. This will be his sixth FP1 appearance since joining the Red Bull Junior Team in 2021.
The Japanese driver is one of the most intruiging talents in the Red Bull system. He finished fourth in the F2 standings in 2023, before returning to Japan to compete in Super Formula, where he won the drivers’ championship in 2025. He is also the test and reserve driver for Racing Bulls and has taken part in numerous FP1s in the past. Now in 2026 he is back in Super Formula defending his title, currently sitting second in the standings.
Red Bull already have Verstappen and Hadjar as their race drivers, with both Racing Bulls seats also taken. It is a crowded house. Iwasa may need to look at other options if a Red Bull family seat does not open up, but his Super Formula success and consistent FP1 performances keep him relevant.
Currently sitting P13 with a 1:25.666, around 8.2 seconds off Russell’s pace. That is a bigger gap than expected for someone with his level of FP1 experience, but with over 49 minutes still to run in the session and the track still rubbering in, his time will come down. Worth remembering Verstappen himself is only P6 at this stage, suggesting the track is still evolving and times are not representative yet.
Paul Aron, Audi, Replacing Nico Hulkenberg
Paul Aron is technically an Alpine reserve driver, but has been loaned to Audi for FP1 duties in 2026, something that happened at the old Sauber team last year too.
The 22-year-old Estonian made waves as an F2 rookie in 2024. He did not race last year and has no full-time programme this year either, instead supporting Alpine’s F1 efforts. Aron drove for Sauber at Silverstone and the Hungaroring last year, while also completing three FP1 appearances with Alpine.
Audi are a team in serious need of pace, sitting at the bottom of the constructors standings. Aron will also run for them at the Austrian Grand Prix in a few weeks. Some predictions for 2027 have Aron potentially landing at Alpine if Franco Colapinto’s seat comes under threat, with Mercedes keen to get their development drivers into race seats in return for engine supply.
Frederik Vesti, Mercedes, Replacing Kimi Antonelli
Frederik Vesti has been waiting patiently for his F1 opportunity for a very long time. The 24 year old Dane from Vejle is the official reserve driver at Mercedes, a role he has held for several years now. He was F2 vice-champion in 2023, but at the time Hamilton extended his contract and Russell was going nowhere, leaving no opening.
With no F1 promotion available, Vesti went into sportscars, competing in the European Le Mans Series and IMSA. He kept developing, kept learning, and stayed close to the Mercedes programme.
Today he steps into what is currently the dominant car on the grid, Antonelli’s W17. It is his fifth FP1 outing overall. Some predictions for the 2027 grid suggest Vesti could land at Alpine if Colapinto loses his seat, with Mercedes potentially facilitating the move as part of their engine supply relationship with Alpine. A strong performance in Barcelona can only help that case.
In the live standings Vesti is down in P20 with a current lap time of 55.461, which means he is mid-lap and has not yet posted a representative time. The Mercedes is the fastest car on the grid this season by a considerable margin, so his final lap time will be very interesting to compare against the top. The pressure is real, he is driving the championship leader’s car.
Luke Browning, Williams, Replacing Alex Albon
Luke Browning is the odd one out slightly. While most of the others are still active in F2 or Super Formula, Browning has moved into Super Formula Japan this year with Team Kondo Racing, having finished fourth in the F2 standings in 2025.
The 24 year old from Cheshire has been in the Williams academy since 2023. He has already driven for Williams in FP1 at Bahrain, Mexico and Abu Dhabi last season, as well as Abu Dhabi in 2024. This is his fifth official FP1 appearance, and by far the most experienced of today’s group after Iwasa.
Browning himself has been refreshingly honest about what this opportunity means to him. He said: “I want to hold myself to a good standard and make sure that I’m ready when I get in. It’s just showing that I’m ready to get in the seat if I’m needed.” Williams boss James Vowles has said publicly that he has “no doubt” about keeping his current driver lineup, but 2027 is not that far away, and Browning is clearly the first in line if anything changes at Grove.
In the current standings he is P22 with no time set yet, still in the early stages of his session. From what is visible on the timing screen, Aron at Audi also got the call to box this lap, suggesting teams are actively managing their programmes carefully in the opening phase.
What the Timing Screen Tells Us So Far
Seven drivers, seven different stories. But with nearly 50 minutes still on the clock, some early patterns are already emerging from the live data.
Beganovic is the standout among the young drivers at P9, showing real pace and already ahead of several regular race drivers including Alonso, Stroll and both Aston Martins. That is impressive for a third FP1 outing in any car, let alone a Ferrari.
Herta is P12 on his absolute first F1 weekend appearance ever, and still on a live lap. The gap of 5.2 seconds will close as the session develops and he builds confidence. What matters today is that he keeps it clean and gives the engineers something to work with.
Vesti and Fornaroli have not yet set representative times, which is perfectly normal at this stage of a session. The real comparisons will come in the second half of the hour when all drivers have proper laps under their belts.
One thing the team radio section of the screen makes clear: this is a working session with real problems to solve. Ocon reporting no shift lights and a frozen steering wheel, Piastri flagging brake vibrations, Alonso dealing with engine braking issues. The young drivers are not just doing parade laps, they are in the middle of a real engineering session on a brutally hot Friday morning in Barcelona.
The question after FP1 will always be the same, how did they compare to their teammates in FP2 and beyond? Lap times in FP1 are tricky to read directly, but overall pace, number of mistakes, feedback quality and how they manage the tyre all go into the evaluation. The teams are watching closely, and so are we.
