These are the confirmed Formula 1 reserve drivers of 2024

The importance of reserve drivers

Formula 1 reserve drivers are crucial for teams, providing both flexibility and reassurance. They contribute to the car development process through simulator work and can gain valuable track time during practice sessions.

There is a real possibility of seeing them in action, especially if a regular driver suffers an injury or illness and needs to be replaced. As was the case last year, for instance, when we saw Liam Lawson called upon due to Daniel Ricciardo's wrist injury, highlighting the importance of having reliable and talented reserve drivers.

Red Bull & RB reserve driver

Liam Lawson made a significant impression last year during his first F1 appearances with AlphaTauri, where he substituted for the injured Daniel Ricciardo from Zandvoort to Qatar. Lawson consistently outperformed his temporary teammate Yuki Tsunoda in qualifying sessions and on race day he even secured points in Singapore. Nevertheless, the team opted to retain the same lineup for 2024, resulting in Lawson returning to his role as a reserve driver.

There are suggestions that he is all but certain to secure a full-time seat for 2025, where he will replace either Ricciardo or Tsunoda at the rebranded RB team.

Mercedes reserve driver

Mick Schumacher has already made an impression with strong simulation work that has translated to success on the track - Lewis Hamilton and George Russell praised the German driver last season after a double podium finish in Spain.

Mick Schumacher also delivered some impressive performances during his first two F1 seasons, scoring points in Britain and Austria. In addition to his role at Mercedes, he has also signed up to drive the Alpine Hypercar in this year's World Endurance Championship, including at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Ferrari reserve driver

After an impressive F2 campaign and two FP1 appearances at Haas in 2023, Oliver Bearman has been added to the list of Ferrari F1 reserve drivers who will be ready to step in for Charles Leclerc or Carlos Sainz in 2024.

The young Brit - who will be entering his second F2 season with Prema this year - is joined by the long-standing Ferrari reserve and test driver Robert Shwartzman and former Alfa Romeo driver Antonio Giovinazzi.

Aston Martin reserve driver

In 2024, Felipe Drugovich once again serves as the reserve driver for Aston Martin. The young Brazilian had a dominant campaign in 2022, securing victories in the feature races in Jeddah, Barcelona, Monaco, and Zandvoort - clinching the F2 championship in Monza with one race to spare.

His consistent performances throughout the season put him on the radar of most F1 teams, but with very few available seats, Drugovich currently finds himself on the sidelines while Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll race in the Aston Martin F1 car. In the meantime, he will attend races during the season to gain experience and participate in FP1 sessions.

Although his first appearance during the Italian GP weekend of 2023 made little impression, Drugovich got into the groove during the first practice session of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend in 2023, finishing second overall, just 0.228 seconds behind the fastest time set by Mercedes driver George Russell.

McLaren reserve driver

McLaren has opted to assemble a new reserve duo for 2024, comprising IndyCar star Pato O'Ward and Le Mans winner Ryo Hirakawa.

As a Mercedes power unit customer - an agreement recently extended until 2030 - the Woking-based team has often utilized reserve drivers from other teams instead of employing their own drivers. In 2023, Mick Schumacher and Felipe Drugovich were on standby. However, in an attempt to make it appear more like a standalone team, McLaren CEO Zak Brown has chosen to look beyond many other teams on the grid, hoping to demonstrate that F1 talent can also be found across the Atlantic.

O'Ward, who has completed several testing sessions for the team and made his FP1 debut in the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, is already a highly skilled driver in IndyCar, having finished fourth or better in the series three times in the past four years. Similarly, Hirakawa joins McLaren after brilliant WEC campaigns with Toyota in 2022 and 2023 - topping the Drivers' and Constructors' standings on both occasions.

Alpine reserve driver

After the controversial departure of Oscar Piastri in 2022, Jack Doohan became the reserve driver for Alpine in 2023, and his role has now been confirmed for 2024.

While he may have been overshadowed by drivers like Felipe Drugovich and now Theo Pourchaire in 2022, Doohan's progress throughout the 2023 F2 season has garnered attention - with victories in the feature races in Hungary and Belgium. Although a full-time F1 seat may remain out of reach for now, gaining experience alongside F1 race winners Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly will only contribute to his development, as he will not be racing in F2 this season anymore.

Stake F1 Team reserve driver

Theo Pourchaire followed up an impressive F2 campaign in 2022 - finishing second in the championship - with further progress in 2023: he clinched the championship with an 11-point lead over Frederik Vesti. As a member of the Sauber Academy since 2019, the talented Frenchman has been on the F1 radar for some time, but with Zhou Guanyu extending his contract until 2024, Pourchaire will have to wait at least another year before he can fight for a full-time F1 seat.

He will share duties with Zane Maloney. The 20-year-old Barbados native was named Rookie of the Year in the FIA Formula 3 Championship in 2022 after finishing second in the standings in his debut season. Last year, he moved up to Formula 2, where he secured four podium finishes with Rodin Carlin.

Williams reserve driver

As a customer team of Mercedes, Williams does not employ its own reserve driver but instead relies on the talent pool of the Silver Arrows. In 2022, it could call upon the talents of Nyck de Vries or Stoffel Vandoorne - with the former stepping in at Monza after Alex Albon underwent surgery for appendicitis. It has not yet been confirmed if the same agreement is in place for 2024, but if so, Mick Schumacher could potentially be the most likely candidate to fill in.

Haas reserve driver

Over the past three seasons, Haas has utilized Pietro Fittipaldi as its reserve driver - the young Brazilian and grandson of two-time F1 World Champion Emerson Fittipaldi made FP1 appearances last year in Mexico and Abu Dhabi. His contract was extended for 2023, but Haas remains reluctant to promote him to a full-time seat - opting for experience over youth in its current driver lineup.

Fittipaldi is joined by Ferrari reserve driver Oliver Bearman, who will make at least six FP1 appearances for Haas during the 2024 F1 season, although it is not known which races the Briton will appear at.