Red Bull is the only Formula 1 team to put two rookies behind the wheel in Abu Dhabi’s FT1 – Why they waited and what they expect from it
Red Bull’s Formula 1 chief engineer Paul Monaghan believes that running rookies Jake Dennis and Isack Hadjar in the first free practice session at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix could provide the team with some useful insights
Formula E champion and long-time sim driver Jake Dennis will have his first outing in a real car since 2018. And he’ll be joined by Formula 2 star Isack Hadjar, who drove for AlphaTauri in FT1 in Mexico last month.
All teams must have a rookie drive in the first free practice session twice during the season. While other teams have also waited until the last possible opportunity at the season finale to field their second rookie, only Red Bull will give both cars in FT1 to rookie drivers.
This means that both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez will be mere spectators in this session. Monaghan sees the benefits of the swap above all. “It’s interesting because when you put another driver in the car, you get a different perspective on things,” he says of the rookie deployment.
“They present their feedback differently, and when they use different terminology, it sometimes shows us different ways of looking at problems. Max is very direct in his feedback, similar to Checo. He also expresses his likes and dislikes. Jake, on the other hand, can take things in a different direction.”
“He just says, ‘This is how I feel about it,’ ‘Okay, that’s interesting. That can give you a different perspective on things. Every driver who gets in the car is an opportunity for us to learn something. Jake contributes a lot to this process. “
For the purposes of simulation correlation, it is also very useful for Dennis to try out the real car after a five-year break, emphasizes Monaghan. Dennis last completed test drives for the Red Bull Formula 1 team in 2018. He still regularly works as a simulator and development driver.
According to Monaghan, the regular drivers will not miss much while the rookies take their place. That’s because the first free practice session in Abu Dhabi takes place in daylight and is not representative of the cooler conditions in qualifying and the race.
“We moved it so far back because we didn’t necessarily know how the season would develop,” he explains the late entry of the rookies in the finale.
“The riders miss out on an hour to get used to the track. And if the first practice was the only session at race time, that could make quite a dent. But the way Abu Dhabi is, the second practice session is more useful for race preparation than the first anyway. “
