Lewis Hamilton to miss Barcelona FP1 as replacement named

Lewis Hamilton will skip the opening practice session of the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix weekend as he steps aside for a rookie driver.

Each full-time driver is mandated to give up their seat on two occasions during the year to allow for a rookie competitor to step in.

Barcelona is being targeted as an opportunity for many teams to fit their rookies in due to the vast experience most of the full-time field has around the European venue.

Hamilton's car will be handed over to Dino Beganovic, who has been part of the Ferrari Driver Academy for several years.

The Swedish driver had two FP1 outings with Barcelona last year in Bahrain and Austria, respectively.

“Putting on the red race suit, getting back behind the wheel, and working closely with the engineers and mechanics is something unique, so I’m really looking forward to Barcelona,” Beganovic said. 

“I have great memories from last year’s FP1 and I want to build on that experience and put everything together this time.

“Clearly, this is still a very new car for me because of the regulation changes and everything that comes with them, so the priority is to get up to speed as quickly as possible. 

“My aim is to do the job the team requires of me, provide useful feedback, and adapt to the car as much as possible. 

“If I can do that, it will be a positive session for the whole team and hopefully an enjoyable one for me too.”

Hamilton enters the Spanish Grand Prix weekend fresh from his podium finish last time out in Monaco.