Scuderia Ferrari has confirmed that Ferrari Driver Academy star Dino Beganovic will make his official FP1 debut at the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix. The 22-year-old Swede is scheduled to step into the cockpit of the SF-26 for the Friday morning opening session at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, temporarily taking over driving duties from seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton.
The session marks a monumental milestone for Beganovic, who is currently putting together a highly competitive campaign in Formula 2 with DAMS Lucas Oil. While he has logged previous developmental miles in older-generation F1 machinery—most recently shaking down the SF-25 at the Hungaroring—this will be his first time sampling the real-world dynamics of F1’s heavily altered technical regulations on an official Grand Prix weekend.
From the Virtual Sandbox to the Asphalt
Beganovic’s call-up isn’t just a ceremonial nod to his academy status; it’s a critical bridge between data streams. Throughout the early stages of this season, the young Swede has been heavily embedded in Maranello’s simulator department, clocking countless virtual laps to help the team unlock performance from their current package.
With Barcelona serving as the ultimate aerodynamic baseline track on the calendar due to its demanding mix of high, medium, and low-speed corners, Ferrari is using the rookie session to directly correlate Beganovic’s simulator feedback with real-world track telemetry.
“My expectations for this weekend and for FP1 are a mix of technical focus and emotion,” Beganovic stated ahead of the weekend. “Clearly, this is still a very new car for me because of the regulation changes and everything that comes with them, so the priority is to get up to speed as quickly as possible. My aim is to do the job the team requires of me and provide useful feedback.”
Navigating the Rookie Wave in Spain
The timing of the session means Beganovic will face a physically exhausting double-duty weekend, as he will immediately jump back into his DAMS F2 car for his own championship campaign.
Furthermore, he won’t be alone in navigating the rookie spotlight on Friday morning. Barcelona has historically been a favored venue for teams to fulfill their mandated young driver sessions, and the pit lane will be crowded with fresh talent.
FP1 Rookie Lineup: Barcelona Grand Prix
Driver | Team | Replacing | Primary 2026 Campaign |
|---|---|---|---|
Dino Beganovic | Ferrari | Lewis Hamilton | FIA Formula 2 (DAMS) |
Frederik Vesti | Mercedes | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes Reserve / F2 |
Luke Browning | Williams | Alex Albon | Super Formula |
Paul Aron | Audi | Nico Hülkenberg | Alpine Reserve / F2 |
Leonardo Fornaroli | McLaren | Oscar Piastri | FIA Formula 2 |
“Putting on the red race suit, getting back behind the wheel, and working closely with the engineers and mechanics is something unique. I want to build on my testing experience and put everything together this time.”
— Dino Beganovic
With Oliver Bearman already learning his trade full-time at Haas, Ferrari is under no immediate pressure to rush their junior prospects into permanent race seats. However, with both Beganovic and reigning FRECA champion Rafael Câmara waiting in the wings, a flawless, technically precise performance on Friday morning will keep the Swede at the absolute top of Fred Vasseur’s internal notebook for the future.
