Red Bull to run Vips in FP1 in Barcelona

Red Bull will requite young suburbanite Juri Vips an outing in FP1 at the Spanish Grand Prix in place of Sergio Perez.

All teams have to use rookie drivers on at least two occasions during practice sessions this season, as part of new regulations introduced to increase opportunities for seat time. Williams was the first F1 team to personize it will run a rookie with Nyck de Vries filling in for Alex Albon during FP1 in Barcelona, and now Red Bull has followed suit.

Estonian suburbanite Vips (pictured above) is racing in the Formula 2 championship this season for Hitech, sitting eighth in the standings — 22 points off the lead — in what is his second full season in the category. Vips has moreover been named as a Red Bull test suburbanite over the past three years, but has never appeared in F1 machinery during a race weekend before.

There will be at least three variegated faces in the cars for FP1 this weekend as Alfa Romeo has moreover confirmed Robert Kubica will get an outing as part of his reserve suburbanite duties. Kubica doesn’t qualify as a rookie given his vast wits in F1 — including two race starts last year — meaning Alfa Romeo will still need to use others on two occasions this season.