Bearman and Doohan will also participate in FP1 at Silverstone
After Franco Colapinto announced earlier in the week, it is now Bearman and Doohan who have just been confirmed for the first free practice session. An opportunity for the two drivers to drive a Formula 1 car on the legendary Silverstone circuit.
Young drivers will be in the spotlight at Silverstone during the first free practice session this weekend. Indeed, after the Argentine Franco Colapinto, confirmed by Williams, it is respectively Haas and Alpine who have decided, as part of the FIA regulations which require teams to give young drivers track time in at least two free practice sessions, to let members of their academy like Jack Doohan and Oliver Bearman drive.
A new free practice session for the Australian.
For the Australian, it will be his sixth free practice session (the first one took place in Mexico in 2022) and his second session of the year after replacing Esteban Ocon in Canada at the beginning of June. He will therefore replace the other driver of the A-team, Pierre Gasly, on Friday in the early afternoon. This allows the French team to comply with the FIA regulations by fielding a rookie for a free practice session for the second time this season.
This is probably not insignificant in a period when Alpine, in the midst of recruitment, is looking for a second driver for next season alongside Pierre Gasly. In this context, Alpine’s academy drivers, like Jack Doohan, are looking to take advantage of this opportunity to showcase all their talent.
A home session for Oliver Bearman
On the Haas side, even though the regulatory quota had already been met since Spain, the American team has decided to field the young driver Ollie Bearman who will therefore be able to test a Formula 1 car at Silverstone, in his home country. A dream opportunity for the British driver to be able to race at home and prove to his team that they should hire him next year.
When I learned that I would be participating in six FP1 sessions with Haas F1 and saw that one of them was taking place at Silverstone, I counted the days separating me from this session! It’s an extraordinary track, and it will be a special feeling to leave the pit lane in front of all the British fans.
« It is my goal (F1), it’s what I’m aiming for. There’s no point in hiding it. Personally, I’ve identified a few areas I want to improve on when driving in F1, but that really comes with experience and doing more laps, and I think just working towards that goal will hopefully be enough to get me where I want to be ».
Three young drivers have already been confirmed for this weekend but before Friday, other announcements could still arise.
