Five teams, five rookies, one Friday morning. The Hungarian GP FP1 session is shaping up to be something of a rookie showcase, but beneath the feel-good headlines lies a genuine crisis for at least one of them. Colton Herta is not just here for the experience. He needs the points.
The Super Licence Squeeze
Cadillac signed Herta as their test driver with a clear long-term goal: put an American in the race seat. The problem is that Herta currently sits 16th in F2 with 26 points, and his Super Licence tally sits at 34 of the required 40. He needed a strong F2 campaign. He has not had one.
Each completed FP1 outing worth 100km earns a driver one additional Super Licence point. So here he is again, slotting into Valtteri Bottas’ MAC-26 in Budapest, ticking boxes by necessity rather than by plan. Cadillac originally scheduled four FP1 outings for Herta this season. If F2 continues to yield nothing, that number could quietly climb to six. The FIA permits up to ten per season, so the rulebook allows it. Whether it is the grand American racing story Cadillac wanted to tell is another matter entirely.
“It’s very exciting to get another chance in FP1. It’s a good opportunity for my personal experience, but the ultimate goal is, of course, to help the team with its development.” – Colton Herta
That is the diplomatic version. The less diplomatic version is that without a dramatic F2 turnaround, Herta’s F1 dream rests almost entirely on Cadillac bending their season schedule around FP1 sessions. Meanwhile, Ugo Ugochukwu leads the F3 Championship and is already being mentioned as an American alternative, however politely he deflects the question himself.
The Other Four Worth Watching
Leonardo Fornaroli, McLaren
Leonardo Fornaroli gets his second FP1 run, this time in Oscar Piastri‘s car after replacing Lando Norris in Barcelona. The F2 and F3 champion back-to-back is quietly being positioned for a 2027 race seat, with Haas considered the likeliest destination. Piastri offered a notably warm public endorsement: “He’s ready for F1.” That kind of comment from a works driver is not throwaway. See McLaren’s broader Hungary plans for more context.
Fred Vesti, Mercedes
Vesti replaces championship leader Kimi Antonelli, which is either an honour or a poisoned chalice depending on your outlook. The Dane has five FP1 outings to his name and has spent years waiting for a full-time seat that never arrived. Endurance racing is his day job now. This is a reminder of what might have been.
Paul Aron, Alpine
After loan stints with Audi in Barcelona and Austria, Alpine reserve Paul Aron finally gets a run with his actual employer. Franco Colapinto sits it out. A tidy piece of scheduling, at least on paper.
Ryo Hirakawa, Haas
The Toyota WEC racer takes Oliver Bearman’s car for his second 2026 FP1 run, following Austria. Solid, experienced, no drama. Exactly what Haas probably wants on a Friday morning.
Honda’s Quiet Milestone Next Door
Away from the rookie circus, Aston Martin and Honda have a more significant date pencilled in. The upgraded Honda power unit is set to make its first on-track appearance in a Hungaroring filming day the week after the race, ahead of a planned competitive debut at the Dutch GP. Honda’s trackside chief noted that Hungary, being less power-sensitive than Spa, is a better environment to evaluate the new chassis first. After Aston Martin were nearly three seconds off the Q2 pace in Belgium, they desperately need both upgrades to deliver. Read more on the Aston Martin B-spec debut in Hungary.
Five Rookies, One Real Story
The regulation mandating rookie FP1 outings exists to develop future talent. That is a noble aim. But when a team is engineering their entire FP1 calendar around earning a driver one Super Licence point at a time, it rather exposes how thin the margin for error has become. Cadillac’s all-American dream is still alive. Just about.
