Formula 1 teams are well underway preparing for the forthcoming 2025 campaign, which will consist of 24 grands prix beginning in Melbourne on the 14-16 March.

The grid is set and all but two teams - McLaren and Aston Martin - have changed their driver line-up, meaning this year will have a new look.

But it is not just the full-time competitors that play a crucial role, as a team’s back-up driver does as well.

Reserve drivers act on standby during grand prix weekends and may contest one should a team’s regular driver be unable to. This happened at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, for example, as Oliver Bearman replaced Carlos Sainz at Ferrari because the Spaniard had appendicitis .

F1 teams also employ simulator drivers, who test changes made to the car so that everybody can gain

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