As Formula 1 (F1) drivers prepared for the first practice session in Budapest, Hungary, two drivers gave their seats to rookies. Each driver, over the course of the season, must give at least two practice sessions over to a rookie driver but the teams can choose when that happens. Nico Hulkenberg, with Kick Sauber, gave his seat to Paul Aron as planned. Fernando Alonso, with Aston Martin, was suffering muscle issues (particularly in his neck after a strenuous race in Spa last week), so Felipe Drugovich was called up to take his seat for the first practice session.
Drugovich is the reserve driver for Aston Martin, so he travels with the team most of the race weekends anyway, but it was still late notice for him to take over. As a former F2 (one of the feeder series for F1), Drugovich has b