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Ayumu Iwasa set to drive Verstappen’s Red Bull in FP1 at Bahrain Grand Prix
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Red Bull have confirmed that Ayumu Iwasa will get behind the wheel of Max Verstappen’s RB21 during Free Practice 1 at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Japanese racer Iwasa already has two practice outings under his belt for sister team Racing Bulls – with these taking place in Japan and Abu Dhabi last year – and will return to action for Round 4 of the 2025 championship in Sakhir.
Having joined the Red Bull Junior Team back in 2021 during his debut Formula 3 campaign, Iwasa made the step up to F2 in the year that followed and ended the season in fifth of the championship, a result he bettered in 2023 by taking fourth place.
The 23-year-old has since gone on to compete in Super Formula, as well as acting as a test driver for the Racing Bulls F1 team.
Ahead of his Red Bull debut during FP1 in Bahrain, Iwasa told his social media followers: “I'm very looking forward to get[ting] some new experience in the car!”
As part of the rules that state every driver on the grid must vacate their seat for a rookie for two FP1 sessions in a season, Verstappen will not be the only one handing his car over to another driver during first practice in Sakhir.
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It has already been confirmed that Fred Vesti, Felipe Drugovich and Luke Browning will be in action for Mercedes, Aston Martin and Williams respectively.
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