Alonso and Stroll sit out Abu Dhabi FP1 – Aston Martin completes rookie obligations with Shields and Crawford. Aston Martin will run rookies Cian Shields and Jak Crawford in FP1 at the Abu Dhabi GP.

F1 | Aston, space for two rookies in Abu Dhabi: Shields and Crawford will run in FP1

Under the current regulations, every team must give young drivers four FP1 outings per season. Aston Martin will complete this requirement in Abu Dhabi by fielding Cian Shields and Jak Crawford in place of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll. For the British driver, it will be his first-ever appearance in an official session after preparing through on-track testing and extensive simulator work.

According to the FIA rules, each Formula 1 team is obliged to guarantee at least one young driver four opportunities to take part in free practice sessions during the season, two in place of each full-time driver. The rule was introduced to support the development of the next generation, and—as has now become tradition—many teams choose the Abu Dhabi round, a circuit already familiar to many junior drivers, to complete their mandatory rookie sessions.

Among the teams still required to meet this obligation is Aston Martin Aramco, which has opted to give its cars to two talented young drivers. Fernando Alonso’s AMR25 will be handed to Cian Shields, a 20-year-old Brit currently in his first full season of Formula 2, while Lance Stroll’s car will be driven by Jak Crawford, whose participation had already been announced in recent weeks.

For Shields, it will be his debut in an official session, but he does not arrive unprepared, having completed more than 500 kilometres in a TPC car and carrying out extensive simulator work at Silverstone. “Being chosen to drive in a Grand Prix weekend is a huge moment for me. I can’t wait to contribute to the programme and make the most of this opportunity.”

Chief Engineer Gerry Hughes highlighted the quality of the work carried out by the young Brit, praising his professionalism and the strength of his feedback. In practice, it is realistic to expect that FP1 will be focused largely on data gathering, potentially helping refine the correlation between the wind tunnel and the real track.

With the 2025 season wrapping up and all eyes already turning to the massive 2026 regulation change, Abu Dhabi FP1 offers both rookies a valuable taste of grand prix weekend pressure under relatively controlled conditions.