FOUR ROOKIES TO TAKE OVER F1 CARS IN MONZA FP1
The Italian Grand Prix weekend at Monza will begin with four different rookies taking part in Free Practice 1, as teams continue to meet Formula 1’s rookie running requirements. Ayumu Iwasa, Colton Herta, Paul Aron and Luke Browning will all get the chance to drive an F1 car during the opening session.
Ayumu Iwasa will replace Max Verstappen at Red Bull for the session. It will be the Japanese driver’s second FP1 appearance for Red Bull in 2026, after he previously drove the RB21 during practice at the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2025. Iwasa has also taken part in several FP1 sessions with Racing Bulls and currently races in Super Formula.
Colton Herta will return to the Cadillac F1 car, replacing Sergio Perez. This will be his third FP1 session of the season after appearances in Barcelona and Budapest. The American is currently competing in Formula 2 and is part of Cadillac’s wider driver development plans.
Paul Aron will take Pierre Gasly’s Alpine for the first practice session. The Estonian is a former Formula 2 driver and has already gained F1 experience through previous test and practice outings. His Monza appearance gives Alpine another opportunity to evaluate him in a race-weekend environment.
Luke Browning will drive Alexander Albon’s Williams. The Briton, who has competed in Formula 2, will use the FW48 for the opening hour of the weekend. Browning is also a Williams junior and has already completed F1 running with the team during the 2026 season.
The four drivers are part of F1’s requirement for teams to give young drivers track time during official practice sessions. Each team must provide opportunities for rookie drivers, defined by the regulations as drivers with no more than two Formula 1 World Championship race starts.
The Monza session will also be an important opportunity because of the circuit itself. The 5.793 km track is the fastest venue on the F1 calendar, with cars spending around 76% of a lap at full throttle. This makes Monza particularly useful for teams and drivers when evaluating power-unit performance, low-downforce setups and braking behaviour.
The four substitutions mean Verstappen, Perez, Gasly and Albon will watch the first session from the garage before returning to their cars for FP2. With the Italian Grand Prix also featuring several championship storylines, including Kimi Antonelli’s grid penalty and the title battle, the rookie drivers will have only one hour to make the most of their opportunity.
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