Dino Beganovic to take part in Bahrain Free Practice with Ferrari

Dino Beganovic will drive the Ferrari SF-25 during the first free practice session of the Bahrain Grand Prix. The 21-year-old Swedish driver, a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy, will replace Charles Leclerc, in accordance with new FIA rules that now require teams to allocate four practice sessions per season to young drivers, up from the previous two.

Beganovic, currently competing in his first full Formula 2 season with the Hitech team, will have a unique opportunity to drive alongside Lewis Hamilton at the Bahrain International Circuit — the site of winter testing — offering optimal conditions for his first taste of Formula 1.

« Driving for Ferrari during the first free practice in Bahrain will be a totally unreal moment for me. Formula 1 has always been my dream, and I’ll finally be taking part in a real race weekend, alongside the most legendary team in the history of this sport, » he said. This past January, he had already tested an older F1 car during a private session with the Scuderia in Barcelona.

The Swedish driver joined the Ferrari Driver Academy in 2020 following promising performances in the Formula Regional European Championship. He went on to confirm his potential by winning the title in that same championship in 2022, before moving up to Formula 3 and making his F2 debut at the end of 2024. In his first full race outing in the category in Australia, he finished 14th before the main race was cancelled due to rain.

Beganovic will need to make the most of the sixty minutes available to him, collecting valuable data and showcasing his driving skills. Though thrilled by the opportunity to drive the Ferrari, the young Swede remains clear-headed and focused on the task at hand: « Words can’t describe how I feel right now. There will be a lot to take in, but my goal is to make the most of this opportunity and help the team with its work for the rest of the race weekend, » he added.

This outing in Bahrain will make him only the second Swede in history to drive a Ferrari Formula 1 car, after Stefan Johansson, who raced for the team between 1985 and 1986. He also becomes the first Swedish driver to take part in an F1 weekend since Marcus Ericsson’s departure at the end of the 2018 season.

Ferrari has previously used young drivers like Oliver Bearman, who is now racing in F1 with Haas, and Arthur Leclerc in free practice sessions in recent years. Dino Beganovic will also compete in the second round of the Formula 2 season with Hitech that same weekend.