What Do Formula 1 Reserve Drivers Actually Do All Day?
- Formula 1 reserve drivers play a critical behind-the-scenes role in modern motorsport, contributing significantly to car development, simulator work, and driver mentoring while waiting on the sidelines for...
- Formula 1 teams once enjoyed absolute freedom to spend time between races pounding around circuits like Silverstone, Barcelona, or Paul Ricard with dedicated test programmes, autosport.com reported.
- Modern reserve drivers generally fall into two distinct categories, autosport.com reported.
Formula 1 reserve drivers play a critical behind-the-scenes role in modern motorsport, contributing significantly to car development, simulator work, and driver mentoring while waiting on the sidelines for a race seat, according to a recent report by autosport.com.
The Evolution From Unlimited Testing to Modern Simulators
Formula 1 teams once enjoyed absolute freedom to spend time between races pounding around circuits like Silverstone, Barcelona, or Paul Ricard with dedicated test programmes, autosport.com reported. Cost grounds brought restrictions that effectively ended unlimited testing moving into the 2010s. Today, teams rely on simulators and test rigs to fill the void. That shift means the days of professional test drivers racking up tens of thousands of miles, such as Luca Badoer at Fiorano for Ferrari or Alex Wurz and Pedro de la Rosa at McLaren, no longer exist in Formula 1.
Profiles of the Modern Formula 1 Reserve Driver
Modern reserve drivers generally fall into two distinct categories, autosport.com reported. The first profile is the battle-hardened professional who possesses extensive Formula 1 experience but finds themselves temporarily without a race seat after the previous year’s driver market failed to align. The second profile is the precocious youngster, often a top performer in Formula 2 who cannot secure a direct route onto the grid due to market forces or junior programme bottlenecks.
Valtteri Bottas Mentors Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes
Experienced reserves help shape car set-up direction and contribute vital feedback to engineers. autosport.com reported that when Valtteri Bottas lost his Sauber drive, Mercedes leaned on him to aid development at the factory and act as a mentor for rookie Kimi Antonelli during the 2025 season. During the Japanese Grand Prix weekend at Suzuka, Antonelli sat over a second down on George Russell in FP3 before consulting Bottas ahead of qualifying. The rookie subsequently cut that gap to under 0.25 seconds by the close of Q3. Bottas also handled ambassadorial and sponsorship duties for the team, similar to Daniel Ricciardo’s six-month stint as Red Bull’s official third driver.
Reserve Drivers Impress Teams with Proactive Attitudes
Younger reserves approach the role by absorbing information and engaging directly with team operations, autosport.com reported. During Ollie Bearman’s reserve tenure at Haas, his feedback during Free Practice 1 outings impressed team boss Ayao Komatsu regardless of his results in Formula 2. Similarly, reigning Formula 2 champion and McLaren reserve Leonardo Fornaroli has drawn praise from team principal Andrea Stella.
We have appreciated massively his attitude as a person and as a driver. He is actually a very interesting character. He looks timid but by far he is the most proactive driver in asking the engineers, he goes around with his notebook, takes notes and as soon as he has an idea he shares it.
Andrea Stella