Ferrari make F1 driver SWITCH ahead of Austrian Grand Prix

Ferrari F1 star Charles Leclerc will not take part in a crucial aspect of the Austrian Grand Prix, with a rookie driver taking over instead.

Leclerc and new team-mate Lewis Hamilton have suffered a disappointing start to the season, not being able to challenge for race victories with their Ferrari team.

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Monegasque driver Leclerc is 25 points ahead of seven-time champion Hamilton in the drivers' standings, however, further reiterating his status as one of the most talented drivers on the F1 grid.

Now, it's been revealed that Leclerc will sit out FP1 as part of Ferrari's attempt to fulfil their rookie driver quota for the season, with 21-year-old Dino Beganovic instead stepping into the car.

Leclerc also missed the majority of Friday practice at the Canadian GP, following a huge crash at the beginning of FP1, and that arguably affected his qualifying performance, with Hamilton outqualifying him for the second successive race weekend.

All teams this season have to field a rookie driver in both of their cars at least twice in 2025, up from once per car in 2024.

Who is Dino Beganovic?

21-year-old Beganovic has been a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy since 2020, and made his F1 session debut earlier this year during FP1 at the Bahrain GP.

Beganovic is currently racing in F2 with Hitech Racing, and is sat 10th in the drivers' standings after claiming two podiums so far in the season.

The Swedish-Bosnian racer won the Formula Regional European championship in 2022, before impressing in F3 with Prema Racing in both 2023 and 2024.

The 21-year-old's first outing in F1 earlier in 2025 saw him claim 14th in FP1, second out of all of the rookies that were taking part in that particular session.

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