Ferrari confirms Beganovic in place of Charles Leclerc for FP1 in Austria. Beganovic gets another Ferrari chance as Leclerc watches from the garage.

Dino Beganovic will once again get behind the wheel of a Ferrari during the opening practice session of a Formula 1 race weekend. The Swedish driver has been confirmed for FP1 at the Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring, following his recent appearance with the Scuderia in Barcelona.

Ferrari gives Beganovic another opportunity

While he replaced Lewis Hamilton during FP1 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, this time it will be Charles Leclerc who steps aside to allow Beganovic valuable track time. The Monegasque driver will therefore watch the first practice session of the weekend from the Ferrari garage.

Beganovic delivered a respectable performance in Spain, finishing eighth in the session, 1.4 seconds behind pace-setter George Russell and less than one second adrift of Leclerc. He completed a total of 30 laps during the outing, gathering important data for the team.

After his FP1 appearance, the Swedish driver returned to Formula 2 duties with DAMS, securing seventh place in the Sprint Race and sixth place in the Feature Race.

For Beganovic, this will be his fourth Formula 1 weekend appearance after taking part in FP1 sessions in Bahrain and Austria in 2025, as well as Barcelona earlier this season. On each occasion, he has driven one of Ferrari’s two cars.

Under Formula 1 regulations, every team is required to field a driver with fewer than two Grand Prix starts in four FP1 sessions throughout the season. Ferrari is continuing to fulfil that obligation while also giving one of its most promising young talents valuable experience.

Leclerc on the sidelines

Charles Leclerc will therefore have to remain on the sidelines during the opening session, despite being eager to put behind him the disappointment of his recent outings in Monaco and Barcelona, both of which ended in retirement.

However, the Austrian Grand Prix has historically been a successful venue for the Ferrari driver. Leclerc won at the Red Bull Ring in GP3 in 2016, claimed victory in Formula 2 in 2017, and triumphed in Formula 1 in 2022. Across nine appearances at the Austrian circuit in Formula 1, he has also collected five podium finishes, underlining his strong record at Spielberg.