P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Six rookie drivers are set to take part in the first practice session at the Bahrain Grand Prix, as part of a change in regulation that increases track time for inexperienced drivers. In previous y…
Six rookie drivers are participating in the first practice session at the Bahrain Grand Prix, following a regulation change that increases track time for inexperienced drivers. Teams were previously required to run a rookie in two Friday practices per season, but this has now been doubled to four sessions this year. The choice of Bahrain International Circuit is due to race drivers’ familiarity with the track from pre-season testing and rookies’ past experience with the circuit. FP1 occurs during the daytime heat, unlike the evening sessions of FP2, qualifying, and the race. Several teams, including Ferrari and Red Bull, are giving their reserve or junior drivers track time in place of their regular race drivers for the first session. McLaren, Alpine, Racing Bulls, and Stake are the only teams not utilizing replacement drivers in Bahrain this weekend.
