F1 news: Five drivers to miss Hungarian GP FP1 as teams hand rookie opportunities

Formula 1 teams will give five rookie drivers valuable track time during the opening practice session for this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix, with championship leader Kimi Antonelli and Oscar Piastri among the regular drivers sitting out.

Under Formula 1 regulations, every team must run a rookie driver in each car at least twice during the season.

With the championship heading into its final race before the summer break, several teams have chosen Budapest to complete one of those mandatory sessions.

Antonelli and Piastri among regulars missing FP1

Mercedes will hand Antonelli's car to reserve driver Frederik Vesti, while Formula 2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli will replace McLaren’s Piastri for the opening hour of running at the Hungaroring.

Fornaroli has already impressed McLaren during previous outings and will get another chance to gain valuable Formula 1 experience amid Haas links before handing the car back to Piastri for the remainder of the weekend.

Haas will also field Toyota-backed driver Ryo Hirakawa in place of Oliver Bearman, while Alpine reserve Paul Aron will drive instead of Franco Colapinto.

Meanwhile, Valtteri Bottas’ Cadillac will be driven by former IndyCar star Colton Herta.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: F1 news: Five key takeaways from Ferrari’s Belgian Grand Prix as optimism continues to grow

Important experience for Formula 1's future stars

The mandatory rookie sessions have become an important part of the Formula 1 calendar, giving young drivers the opportunity to gain experience in current machinery while allowing teams to assess their future talent.

For the rookie drivers, Friday's opening practice session offers another opportunity to impress team bosses and strengthen their cases for future race seats.

Although the five regular drivers will miss the opening session, they will all return for the second practice session later on Friday and will not be disadvantaged heading into qualifying and Sunday's race.

The Hungarian Grand Prix marks the final race on Sunday, July 26, before Formula 1's annual summer shutdown, with teams eager to head into the break on a positive note.

Championship leader Antonelli will be aiming to extend his advantage in the standings, while Piastri and the rest of the field look to end the first part of the season strongly at one of the sport's most technical circuits.

READ NEXT: How tennis data is rewriting the script of modern matches