During free practice in the run-up to the F1 Grand Prix of Spain, the Est Juri Vips will drive the RB18 of Sergio Perez alongside Max Verstappen. For Vips, it is his first official appearance during a Formula 1 training session on behalf of the Oracle Red Bull Racing team
The 21-year-old Vips is driving in Formula 2 this year and has been part of Red Bull for many years, where he has been a test driver since 2020. In December 2021, the Formula 2 driver already drove the RB16B during the post-season test in Abu Dhabi at the Yas Marina Circuit.
There are more teams that give rookies the chance to drive in Barcelona. The sporting regulations require every team to use a young talent at least two free practice sessions per year, which in practice means that these are drivers with little (recent) Formula 1 experience.
Earlier this week, for example, the news came out that the Williams team Nyck de Vries will do the honors in favor of Alex Albon during the first free practice session. And at Alfa Romeo, Robert Kubica is awarded driving time in Zhou Guanyu’s car. The Polish driver has already driven Alfa Romeo in 2022, during the test days in Barcelona and the Pirelli tire test in Imola.
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