Kimi Antonelli, who currently tops the Formula 1 championship standings, will be one of five drivers to sit out the opening practice session for the Hungarian Grand Prix on Friday. The sport’s regulations require each team to field a rookie driver in at least two practice runs for each of its cars over the course of a season.
Because the Budapest round is not a sprint weekend and the Hungaroring is a circuit that teams know well, five of the ten teams have seized the chance to meet this rookie‑driver quota during the first free‑practice slot. Antonelli, who enjoys a 45‑point lead over Lewis Hamilton and a 50‑point cushion ahead of George Russell in the drivers’ leaderboard, will hand his Mercedes‑W17 to reserve driver Frederik Vesti for the Friday morning session.
Vesti, the 2023 Formula 2 runner‑up, previously piloted Antonelli’s car at the Barcelona‑Catalunya Grand Prix, so the Italian will not miss any additional practice opportunities beyond this one outing. The move is part of a broader pattern this season, with several teams rotating their junior talent. For instance, reigning Formula 2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli will take over Oscar Piastri’s McLaren for his second Friday appearance of the year. Fornaroli, who clinched back‑to‑back titles in the FIA Formula 3 and Formula 2 championships in 2024 and 2025, previously drove Lando Norris’s McLaren at the Barcelona event and has been linked to a possible seat at Haas for the 2027 season.
In June, McLaren even loaned the 21‑year‑old Italian to Haas for a testing session involving a previous‑year car, further fueling speculation about a future full‑time role. "We’re not making any immediate decisions; we’re simply keeping our options open," Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu explained.
"Leo performed excellently in the test, which gives us confidence moving forward." George Russell, who leads the Constructors’ Championship for Mercedes, has yet to allocate his car to a rookie driver. Consequently, he is expected to miss two practice sessions across the eleven rounds that follow the summer hiatus, as his team complies with the rookie‑driver rule. Frederik Vesti expressed his enthusiasm about returning to the W17, stating, "I’m really excited to get back behind the wheel of the W17 and continue building my experience with the car. It’s a great opportunity and one I’m looking forward to making the most of." Haas will also see its own young talent, Oliver Bearman, sit out the first Budapest practice while Japanese driver Ryo Hirakawa makes his second season appearance.
Paul Aron will complete his third 2026 practice stint by taking the wheel of Franco Colapinto’s Alpine, after previously being loaned to Audi for sessions in Barcelona and Austria. Former IndyCar competitor Colton Herta will be present in the opening practice as well, piloting Valtteri Bottas’s Cadillac‑powered car. These varied line‑ups illustrate how teams are balancing the development of future stars with the need to gather data on the circuit ahead of race day. The Hungarian Grand Prix weekend is packed with support series and broadcast details.
The schedule includes F3 and F2 practice sessions, qualifying rounds, sprint races, and the main Formula 1 event, all of which will be streamed live on Sky Sports F1 and available via the NOW streaming platform. Viewers are encouraged to use the Chrome browser for optimal video playback. Key timings for the weekend are as follows: - Thursday, July 23: Drivers’ press conference at 2 pm, followed by the Paddock Uncut at 5 pm.
- Friday, July 24: F3 practice at 8:50 am, F2 practice at 10 am, Hungarian GP Practice One at 12 pm (session starts at 12:30 pm), F3 qualifying at 1:55 pm, F2 qualifying at 3 pm, Hungarian GP Practice Two at 3:45 pm (session starts at 4 pm), and the F1 Show at 5 pm. - Saturday, July 25: F3 sprint at 9 am, Hungarian GP Practice Three at 11:15 am (session starts at 11:30 am), F2 sprint at 1:10 pm, Hungarian GP qualifying build‑up at 2:15 pm, Hungarian GP qualifying at 3 pm, and Ted’s Qualifying Notebook at 5 pm. - Sunday, July 26: F3 feature race at 7:35 am, Porsche Supercup at 9:05 am, F2 feature race at 10:20 am, Hungarian GP build‑up and Grand Prix start at 12:30 pm, race action at 2 pm, post‑race reaction at 4 pm, and Ted’s Notebook at 5 pm. All sessions marked with an asterisk will also be broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event.
Fans can stay updated with the latest news, videos, and analysis by following Sky Sports on WhatsApp. In summary, the Hungarian Grand Prix will see a blend of seasoned champions and emerging talents sharing the track during practice, as teams fulfill regulatory obligations and continue to nurture the next generation of Formula 1 drivers. The event promises a full weekend of racing action, support series excitement, and comprehensive coverage for viewers worldwide.