FP1 Switch-Ups: Why Some F1 Drivers Use a Different Car in Practice

Why do some Formula 1 drivers use a different car during practice sessions instead of their own?

FP1 Switch-Ups: Why Some F1 Drivers Use a Different Car in Practice

If you’ve tuned into a Friday session and thought, “Hang on… why is Driver X not in his own car?” you’re not imagining things. Practice day in Formula 1 can look a little musical-chairs-y, and it’s by design. Here’s why you sometimes see a different name on the timing screens next to a car number—or a race driver climbing into a different chassis than they finished with last time out.

First, a quick reality check: what “their car” actually means

• Each team enters two cars for the event—one per race driver. There’s no third “T-car” anymore at race weekends.
• A driver can’t just hop into their teammate’s entry to grab extra laps. You’re entered in one car; that’s your car for the event.
• However, the physical chassis can be rebuilt or changed within that entry, and teams can put a different driver in a car for practice. That’s where the Friday shuffle begins.

The biggest reason: the FP1 rookie rule

• Since 2022, the FIA requires every team to give a rookie (a driver with little or no F1 race experience) seat time in at least two FP1 sessions per season—once in each of the team’s two cars.
• Translation: each race driver must give up one Friday FP1 so a junior or reserve can drive their car.
• Why it exists: F1 cars are brutally complex. Rookie FP1s give young talent real mileage, help teams evaluate prospects, and improve simulator-to-track correlation.
• What you’ll see: a junior driver’s name on the car and timing tower during FP1 while the regular driver sits out. No, the race driver can’t jump into the other car to “make up” the lost session.

Reserve drivers and last-minute auditions

• Teams may run a reserve or affiliated driver in FP1 to keep them sharp, meet contractual obligations, or quietly evaluate them for a future seat.
• Illness or injury can trigger a short-notice substitution. Giving the stand-in a Friday session can be the difference between scraping by and scoring points if they’re needed for qualifying or the race.

Crash damage, gremlins, and chassis changes

• If a driver damages their car, the team may rebuild it around a spare chassis for the next session. Same entry, different physical “car.”
• Sometimes teams swap a driver onto a different tub (chassis) to diagnose a stubborn setup or mechanical issue. If Driver A is fighting a mysterious imbalance, moving them to a known-good chassis can reveal whether the problem is the car or the configuration.
• On Fridays, there’s freedom to do this. After qualifying, parc fermé rules lock the car down and major changes trigger a pit-lane start.

Testing parts: same entry, new spec

• Practice is the lab. Teams A/B-test floors, wings, brake ducts, suspension parts—you name it. One driver often gets the upgrade first while the other runs the baseline.
• To fans, it can look like “a different car,” because performance and onboards change dramatically. But technically it’s the same entry wearing new hardware.

Power unit and gearbox mileage management

• Fridays are also for running older engines or components to save the freshest ones for qualifying and the race.
• The car might sound or behave differently on a “Friday engine,” and teams may limit mileage or power. That’s strategic conservation, not a driver losing confidence.

Why teams embrace the shuffle

• Data diversity: Two drivers, two setups, more answers in less time.
• Correlation: Rookies and reserves help compare wind tunnel/simulator predictions with the real world.
• Futureproofing: Tryouts on Fridays have directly led to race seats in recent seasons.
• Cost cap discipline: Learning fast on Friday avoids expensive dead-ends later.

Safety and fit still rule everything

• You can’t just throw anyone into any car. Each driver needs a custom-molded seat, correct pedal spacing, and steering wheel configuration. That’s why rookie FP1s are planned well in advance, and why you won’t see mid-session teammate swaps.

What to watch for on Fridays

• Team announcements: They’ll flag rookie FP1s and parts tests before the weekend.
• Aero rakes and flow-vis paint: If you see big sensor grids or green paint, that car is running correlation work rather than chasing lap time.
• Sector patterns: A new floor might light up medium-speed corners while top speed dips because of extra drag—clues that an “upgrade” is real, even if the headline time isn’t.

Bottom line

• If a regular driver is “not in their car” in FP1, it’s almost always the rookie-session requirement or a planned evaluation for a reserve.
• If the same driver looks like they’re in a “different car” later in the weekend, it’s typically a chassis change after damage or a parts-spec swap, not a secret third car.
• Fridays are for learning; Sundays are for points. The switch-ups are simply F1 teams using every minute to be faster when it matters.

What Are Some FP1 Switch-Ups from Past Practice Sessions?

Recent FP1 Switch-Ups That Made Headlines

• Bahrain GP 2025: Multiple teams used their rookie slots, with Max Verstappen sitting out FP1 as part of the Friday rotations. [Planetf1] [Independent]
• Austrian GP 2025: Ferrari ran academy driver Dino Beganovic in FP1 in place of Charles Leclerc, as part of their rookie allocation. [SPORTbible] [GPFans]
• Japanese GP 2025 (Suzuka): Alpine handed FP1 to reserve driver Ryo Hirakawa, with Jack Doohan stepping aside for the session. [GPBlog]

Why so many? The 2025 rules increased mandatory rookie FP1 running, prompting more Friday driver swaps across the grid. [AutoSport] [F1]

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