Max Verstappen absent from opening Bahrain GP session amid sweeping F1 driver swaps

The Red Bull driver claimed victory in Japan and trails championship leader Lando Norris by one point

Max Verstappen will miss first practice at the Bahrain Grand Prix on Friday with youngster Ayumu Iwasa taking his place for Red Bull.

Under current F1 regulations, teams must run rookies (drivers with two or less grand prix appearances to their name) twice in each of their cars over the course of the 2025 season.

The Bahrain International Circuit, used for pre-season testing, junior formula and not hosting a sprint weekend, is being utilised this weekend by over half the grid for rookie FP1 appearances on Friday.

Verstappen, who won the last race in Japan and trails championship leader Lando Norris by just one point, will miss FP1 for Japanese 23-year-old Iwasa, meaning Red Bull will have an all-Japanese line-up for the opening practice session.

“I'm very looking forward to get[ting] some new experience in the car!” Iwasa, who will line-up alongside Yuki Tsunoda, said on social media.

Mercedes and Ferrari are among five F1 teams who will utilise this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix for one of their mandatory rookie spots in practice.

George Russell will sit out first practice on Friday for Mercedes in place of Danish youngster Frederik Vesti, while Charles Leclerc will step out of the Ferrari SF-25 for Dino Beganovic.

Russell’s teammate Kimi Antonelli does not need to give up any practice sessions this season as a result of being a rookie himself. The same goes for Isack Hadjar, Gabriel Bortoleto and Jack Doohan.

Max Verstappen will miss FP1 in Bahrain (Getty Images)

Felipe Drugovich, the 2022 F2 champion, will take over from Fernando Alonso for Aston Martin while British 23-year-old Luke Browning will drive for Williams in Carlos Sainz’s car.

Browning, who is racing in F2 this weekend as well, completed a test in Williams’s 2023 F1 car in Monza last weekend.

The last FP1 rookie appearance, at least announced so far, comes at Haas with new signing Ryo Hirakawa replacing Ollie Bearman.

The Bahrain Grand Prix takes place on Sunday at 4pm (BST).