Ayumu IwasaPlayer·Ayumu Iwasa takes a significant step in his pursuit of a future Formula 1 seat as Red Bull hands the Japanese driver a run in first practice for the Barcelona Grand Prix.
Red Bull confirms that Iwasa will drive in FP1 at Circuit de Barcelona‑Catalunya, taking over Isack HadjarPlayer·Isack Hadjar’s RB22 for the opening 60 minutes of track action. The outing forms part of the team’s mandatory young driver sessions, a requirement that pushes leading prospects into live grand prix weekends rather than private test days.
For Iwasa, the assignment is a crucial opportunity to demonstrate speed, composure and technical feedback in current machinery on a traditional, high-load circuit that teams know in forensic detail. Every sector time and radio message will feed into Red Bull’s wider evaluation of its pipeline for future race seats, both in the senior team and its sister outfit.
Hadjar’s temporary step aside comes only days after he secures his first podium with Red Bull, finishing third at the Monaco Grand Prix and underlining his own credentials at the sharp end of the grid. According to Sportal, he is scheduled to miss one further practice session before the end of the season, while Max VerstappenPlayer·Max Verstappen will sit out two, as Red Bull cycles through its pool of young drivers to meet testing obligations.
The decision also ripples through the career plan of Nikola TsolovPlayer·Nikola Tsolov, another name firmly on Red Bull’s radar. Sportal reports that Tsolov is currently considered a leading driver in the Red Bull academy but does not yet hold the FIA super licence required to participate in an F1 free practice session. Until that threshold is met, live grand prix mileage remains out of reach.
Even so, the same report indicates an expectation that Tsolov will receive at least one session with Red Bull or Racing BullsTeam·Racing Bulls before the end of the year, provided the licensing pieces fall into place. That prospect underlines how tightly managed the team’s development ladder has become: every FP1 slot is now a strategic asset, traded between drivers not just on potential but on paperwork, programme fit and calendar timing.
Iwasa’s Barcelona run therefore sits at the intersection of several storylines. It maintains Red Bull’s strong tradition of promoting from within, sustains Japan’s growing presence on the Formula 1 grid, and reinforces the message that standout junior performances can translate into direct exposure on grand prix weekends.
For the wider field of young drivers, the session is another reminder of how critical these FP1 windows have become. With testing heavily restricted, a single hour on a race weekend can reshape internal depth charts and influence which names enter serious conversations when future seats open up. Iwasa now has that platform in Barcelona; Hadjar, Verstappen and Tsolov will all feel its implications as the season unfolds.
Max Verstappen, Isack Hadjar, and Arvid Lindblad at the 2026 Canadian Grand Prix. DeFodi Images/IMAGO
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