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Ferrari has confirmed that Dino Beganovic will return to the cockpit of the SF-25 during the opening free practice session at the Austrian Grand Prix, with the Scuderia academy driver set to take over Charles Leclerc’s car at the Red Bull Ring.
The run at Spielberg will mark another significant Formula 1 opportunity for the 21-year-old Swede, who was already handed his FP1 debut earlier this year in Bahrain. On that occasion, Beganovic also deputised for Leclerc in Sakhir, giving Ferrari an initial reference point with one of its junior programme drivers inside current F1 machinery.
Beganovic arrives at the Austrian weekend currently sitting 10th in the Formula 2 drivers’ standings, as he continues to balance his junior single-seater campaign with Ferrari’s broader development pathway. His latest FP1 appearance is also the first confirmed driver change for the Austrian Grand Prix weekend, adding an early focal point to Ferrari’s preparations at Spielberg. For the full weekend structure, see our 2026 Austrian Grand Prix timetable and schedule.
From Ferrari’s perspective, the session has a clear regulatory significance. By placing Beganovic in Leclerc’s SF-25 for FP1 in Austria, the Italian squad will have completed two of its mandated four rookie FP1 sessions for the current campaign.
That leaves Ferrari with two further rookie outings still to allocate, both of which must take place in Lewis Hamilton’s car. The Austrian run therefore does more than give Beganovic additional track time; it also moves Ferrari through an important part of its season-long obligation while keeping its academy programme visible within a grand prix weekend.
Beganovic has been part of the Ferrari junior programme since 2020, underlining the team’s long-term investment in his progression. Before stepping into Formula 2, he finished sixth in FIA Formula 3 in both 2023 and 2024, establishing himself as a consistent presence in the junior categories.
The Red Bull Ring FP1 outing will now give him another chance to operate within Ferrari’s race-weekend environment. For a driver still building his profile in Formula 2, every lap in the SF-25 carries value—not only as track experience, but as another measure of how Ferrari continues to evaluate and integrate its academy talent at the highest level.
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.
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