Ferrari announce Leclerc replacement for upcoming grand prix

Ferrari Formula 1 team have announced a replacement for star driver Charles Leclerc at an upcoming grand prix weekend.

The Maranello-based outfit have announced that the Monegasque star will not feature in every session across the Bahrain Grand Prix race weekend, which takes place from April 11-13.

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The 27-year-old has had a disappointing start to the season, achieving no higher than fifth position in any of the three races so far.

Leclerc was handed his worst result of the campaign so far last weekend after being disqualified from the Chinese GP alongside new team-mate Lewis Hamilton in a disastrous double blow for Ferrari.

Leclerc replaced by Ferrari junior in F1 debut

The Ferrari driver duo will hope to improve upon their inconsistent results at next weekend's Japanese GP, which kicks off another double-header before the pinnacle of motorsport heads to Bahrain, where Leclerc will be watching from the sidelines for FP1.

In an official announcement, Ferrari confirmed that Leclerc will sit out the first free practice session on Friday April 11, with F2 star Dino Beganovic instead making his F1 debut behind the wheel of Leclerc's SF-25.

The 21-year-old has been a member of Ferrari's driver academy since 2020 and, after graduating to F2 at the end of last year, will now go one step further and get his first taste of F1 at the Bahrain International Circuit.

Following a change to the rules for the 2025 season, rookies have been boosted with increased chances to try their hand during free practice sessions.

Previously, F1 teams had to field a rookie in each of their cars at least once during practice sessions throughout the year, but that has now increased to twice per car, with Beganovic announced as the first replacement of many for 2025.

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🚨 @DinoBeganovic4 will get his first official F1 practice session at the Bahrain Grand Prix! 💪

— Scuderia Ferrari HP (@ScuderiaFerrari) March 28, 2025

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