[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"header-nav":3,"footer-nav":29,"article-five-teams-rookie-fp1-hungarian-grand-prix":82,"category-counts-nav":96,"related-five-teams-rookie-fp1-hungarian-grand-prix":106},[4,8,11,14,17,20,23,26],{"label":5,"to":6,"exact":7},"Home","\u002F",true,{"label":9,"to":10},"World Cup","\u002Fworldcup",{"label":12,"to":13},"Standings","\u002Fstandings",{"label":15,"to":16},"Football","\u002Fcategory\u002Ffootball",{"label":18,"to":19},"Basketball","\u002Fcategory\u002Fbasketball",{"label":21,"to":22},"Tennis","\u002Fcategory\u002Ftennis",{"label":24,"to":25},"F1","\u002Fcategory\u002Ff1",{"label":27,"to":28},"Long Reads","\u002Fcategory\u002Flong-reads",{"brand":30,"columns":32,"tagline":80,"copyright":81},{"description":31},"In-depth sports journalism covering football, basketball, tennis, F1, and beyond. Daily analysis, long reads, and expert opinion.",[33,51,59],{"heading":34,"links":35},"Leagues",[36,39,42,45,48],{"label":37,"to":38},"Premier League","\u002Ftag\u002Fpremier-league",{"label":40,"to":41},"La Liga","\u002Ftag\u002Fla-liga",{"label":43,"to":44},"NBA","\u002Ftag\u002Fnba",{"label":46,"to":47},"Formula 1","\u002Ftag\u002Fformula-1",{"label":49,"to":50},"Champions League","\u002Ftag\u002Fchampions-league",{"heading":52,"links":53},"Content",[54,56,57],{"label":55,"to":16},"Analysis",{"label":27,"to":28},{"label":58,"to":16},"Data & Stats",{"heading":60,"links":61},"Company",[62,65,68,71,74,77],{"label":63,"to":64},"Terms of Service","\u002Fservice",{"label":66,"to":67},"Privacy Policy","\u002Fprivacy",{"label":69,"to":70},"Editorial Policy","\u002Feditorial",{"label":72,"to":73},"Contact Us","\u002Fcontact",{"label":75,"to":76},"About Us","\u002Fabout",{"label":78,"to":79},"Website Disclaimer","\u002Fdisclaimer","Built for the love of sport","© SportPulse. All rights reserved.",{"title":83,"slug":84,"category":85,"badge":86,"author":87,"excerpt":88,"date":89,"readTime":90,"image":91,"imageAlt":83,"tags":92,"body":94,"_path":95},"Five Teams Line Up Rookies for Hungary FP1 Shake-Up","five-teams-rookie-fp1-hungarian-grand-prix","f1","F1: Feature","David Kim","Nearly half the grid will swap in rookie drivers for Friday practice at the Hungaroring, with McLaren, Mercedes, Alpine, Haas and Cadillac all participating.","2026-07-23 12:42:07","3 min read","\u002Fimages\u002Farticles\u002Ffive-teams-rookie-fp1-hungarian-grand-prix.webp",[46,93],"Hungarian Grand Prix","Friday practice at the Hungarian Grand Prix will look markedly different from the usual routine. Five of the grid's **11 teams** have confirmed they will run rookie drivers during FP1, reshuffling their line-ups for the opening session at the Hungaroring.\n\nMcLaren, Mercedes, Alpine, Haas, and Cadillac will all field less experienced drivers alongside their regular race line-ups. Nearly half the cars on track during the first 60 minutes of running will be piloted by someone other than the usual occupant.\n\n## Why Hungary Draws the Rookie Obligations\n\nUnder current FIA regulations, teams are required to run drivers with fewer than two Grand Prix starts in at least **two FP1 sessions per season**. The rule gives young talent meaningful track time in contemporary machinery, and teams typically spread these obligations across the calendar strategically.\n\nHungary's appeal as a venue is straightforward. The Hungaroring is a short, technical circuit with few high-speed corners where an inexperienced driver might overstep the limit and cause significant damage. Its tight, twisting layout punishes mistakes through time loss rather than physical consequences, rewarding precision over bravery. The lack of long straights and the emphasis on mechanical grip also mean a rookie's lap time is more directly tied to feel and car control than aerodynamic confidence, giving teams a cleaner read on driver adaptability.\n\n## Auditions at McLaren and Mercedes, Data at Alpine and Haas\n\nFor **McLaren** and **Mercedes**, the FP1 sessions double as extended auditions. Both teams have active driver development programmes and contract decisions to plan. A strong showing in a Friday practice session can shift internal conversations about who occupies a seat in coming seasons.\n\n**Alpine** and **Haas** occupy a different position. Both teams sit in the midfield where marginal gains matter. A rookie FP1 run offers a chance to gather data with a lighter fuel load and different driving style, giving engineers another data point for setup work. A fresh perspective in the cockpit sometimes highlights a characteristic of the car that the regular drivers have unconsciously adapted to and stopped flagging.\n\n**Cadillac**'s involvement is the most interesting subplot. As the newest team on the grid, every session of running is critical for building knowledge of its own car and operations. Their rookie programme is less about scouting and more about accelerating the team's understanding of its machinery.\n\n## One Fewer Hour of Setup Time for the Regulars\n\nThe FP1 shake-up carries a practical consequence for the regular drivers. Those sitting out the session will have **one fewer hour** of track time to nail their baseline setup before the weekend's competitive sessions begin. At a circuit where overtaking is notoriously difficult and grid position carries outsized importance, losing that session could decide a qualifying battle.\n\nQualifying at the Hungaroring has historically rewarded drivers who maximise every available minute of practice. The narrow, abrasive track surface evolves significantly through a weekend, and the balance between front and rear degradation shifts as rubber is laid down. Drivers who lose FP1 time to a rookie run must compensate quickly in FP2 and FP3.","\u002Farticles\u002Ffive-teams-rookie-fp1-hungarian-grand-prix",[97,98,99,85,100,101,102,103,104,105],"analysis","basketball","cricket","football","general","golf","mma","long-reads","tennis",[107,120,133],{"id":108,"stem":108,"path":109,"title":110,"category":85,"badge":111,"badgeType":112,"author":87,"authorRole":113,"authorInitials":114,"date":115,"readTime":116,"image":117,"imageAlt":110,"tags":118,"excerpt":119},"mclaren-aston-martin-hungarian-gp-upgrade-gains","\u002Farticles\u002Fmclaren-aston-martin-hungarian-gp-upgrade-gains","McLaren and Aston Martin Turn Budapest Into a Development Statement","F1: Technical","category","F1 Analyst","DK","2026-07-28 13:17:38","2 min read","\u002Fimages\u002Farticles\u002Fmclaren-aston-martin-hungarian-gp-upgrade-gains.webp","Formula 1, McLaren, Aston Martin, Hungarian Grand Prix","Updated cars at the Hungaroring delivered a spectacular leap in competitiveness for both McLaren and Aston Martin.",{"id":121,"stem":121,"path":122,"title":123,"category":85,"badge":124,"badgeType":112,"author":125,"authorRole":126,"authorInitials":127,"date":128,"readTime":129,"image":130,"imageAlt":123,"tags":131,"excerpt":132},"spa-2026-active-aero-low-downforce-setup-belgian-gp-technical-preview","\u002Farticles\u002Fspa-2026-active-aero-low-downforce-setup-belgian-gp-technical-preview","Spa 2026: Why Active Aero Turns the Belgian GP Into a Setup Chess Match","Technical","Rachel Tan","SportPulse Contributor","RT","2026-07-16 11:19:09","6 min read","\u002Fimages\u002Farticles\u002Fspa-2026-active-aero-low-downforce-setup-belgian-gp-technical-preview.webp","Formula 1, Belgian Grand Prix, Spa-Francorchamps","F1's 2026 active aerodynamics regulations transform Spa-Francorchamps into the ultimate low-drag, high-corner-speed technical puzzle.",{"id":134,"stem":134,"path":135,"title":136,"category":85,"badge":137,"badgeType":112,"author":87,"authorRole":113,"authorInitials":114,"date":138,"readTime":90,"image":139,"imageAlt":136,"tags":140,"excerpt":141},"hungaroring-qualifying-tyre-temperature-puzzle","\u002Farticles\u002Fhungaroring-qualifying-tyre-temperature-puzzle","Hungaroring Qualifying Turns on Track Temperature and Front-Tyre Prep","Race Reports","2026-07-26 00:07:21","\u002Fimages\u002Farticles\u002Fhungaroring-qualifying-tyre-temperature-puzzle.webp","Formula 1, Hungarian Grand Prix, Qualifying","A compact, low-degradation circuit made qualifying about who could switch on the fronts early enough through Sector 1."]