News Summary
- Six teams have announced substitute drivers for São Paulo Grand Prix FP1 on Friday, November 6.
- Dino Beganovic, Leonardo Fornaroli, Luke Browning, Gabriele Minì, Freddie Slater and Colton Herta will take part.
- Rafael Câmara’s Haas appearance is a race-seat debut, separate from the practice-only substitutions.
Dino Beganovic, Leonardo Fornaroli, Luke Browning, Gabriele Minì, Freddie Slater and Colton Herta are confirmed for São Paulo Grand Prix FP1, taking over cars normally driven by six members of the Formula 1 race grid.
Friday’s opening session at Interlagos begins at 12:30 local time on November 6. Charles Leclerc, Oscar Piastri, Carlos Sainz, Pierre Gasly, Nico Hülkenberg and Sergio Pérez will sit out that hour, with the arrangements applying to FP1 rather than their race seats.
Confirmed São Paulo GP FP1 replacements
The following table covers the six announced practice-only substitutions. It is not a classification or starting grid.
| FP1 driver | Team | Regular driver sitting out |
|---|---|---|
| D. BEGANOVIC | Ferrari | C. LECLERC |
| L. FORNAROLI | McLaren Mercedes | O. PIASTRI |
| L. BROWNING | Williams Mercedes | C. SAINZ |
| G. MINÌ | Alpine Mercedes | P. GASLY |
| F. SLATER | Audi | N. HÜLKENBERG |
| C. HERTA | Cadillac Ferrari | S. PÉREZ |
The regular drivers are scheduled to resume their programmes in FP2 at 16:00 BRT. Interlagos uses the conventional weekend format this year, giving teams three practice sessions before qualifying rather than the compressed preparation of a sprint event.
Beganovic and Fornaroli take Ferrari and McLaren duties
Beganovic will drive Leclerc’s Ferrari SF-26, making his third FP1 appearance of the season after Barcelona-Catalunya and Austria. The Swede’s official announcement identifies this as his first visit to Interlagos, adding circuit familiarisation to his work gathering information for Ferrari.
Fornaroli will take Piastri’s McLaren MCL40 for his fourth FP1 outing of 2026. McLaren has linked his programme to the evaluation of updates arriving in São Paulo, including changes to the front wing, rear wing and floor components. His appearance completes the team’s final mandated rookie session.
For both drivers, the assignment combines gaining experience with delivering usable feedback. The cars must remain available for the regular drivers’ afternoon preparation, making a clean session particularly valuable.
Browning, Minì and Slater continue consecutive-weekend programmes
Williams has assigned Sainz’s car to Browning after the British reserve drove Alex Albon’s car in Mexico. The team says the running will also support his simulator work by giving him direct experience of the FW48’s latest package.
Minì switches to Gasly’s Alpine for his second consecutive Grand Prix weekend appearance. Alpine’s preview confirms that Gasly will return in the afternoon, while Minì’s objective is to build on his first official F1 session in Mexico and provide data from a different circuit.
Slater’s two-event Audi programme also continues at Interlagos. He takes Hülkenberg’s R26 this time, leaving Gabriel Bortoleto in the other car for the opening session of his home weekend.
Herta has a super licence objective at Cadillac
Herta’s Cadillac appearance carries an additional consequence: he is seeking the final point needed to reach the FIA’s 40-point super licence threshold.
The American replaces Pérez and needs at least 100km of eligible running without receiving penalty points. At the 4.309km Interlagos circuit, 24 laps exceed that distance. Reaching the points threshold would address an eligibility requirement; it would not itself constitute a race-seat announcement or automatic issuance of the licence.
Why Câmara is a different case
Rafael Câmara will also attract attention in FP1, but he does not belong in the practice-only replacement table. Haas has selected Câmara to race alongside Oliver Bearman following Esteban Ocon’s departure from its 2026 line-up.
His Friday running therefore begins preparation for qualifying and the Grand Prix itself. The complete São Paulo weekend schedule continues with FP3 and qualifying on Saturday, followed by Sunday’s race.
GRANDE PRÊMIO is following every session of the São Paulo Grand Prix this weekend, with breaking news, full coverage and real-time updates in its Formula 1 section.
