Charles Leclerc replaced at Austrian Grand Prix as Lewis Hamilton handed new team-mate | F1 | Sport

Lewis Hamilton will have a new team-mate at the start of this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, with Charles Leclerc set to be replaced. Ferrari have enjoyed a promising start to the campaign despite lagging behind Mercedes in the Constructors’ Championship standings. They have been on the podium at each of the last three races and claimed victory in Barcelona as Hamilton took the chequered flag.

The seven-time world champion endured a horror debut season with Ferrari but is now looking much more like his former self. Leclerc, meanwhile, has struggled to match his team-mate in recent weeks and could only finish eighth in Barcelona a fortnight ago. He will be hoping to bounce back at the Red Bull Ring this weekend, but will be on the back foot from the very start.

That’s because Leclerc won’t be taking part in FP1, leaving him with one hour less running time than Hamilton overall. He will be replaced by Dino Beganovic, who has been a member of Ferrari’s driver academy since 2020.

The young Swede has been working on the development side this season and was called upon in Barcelona two weeks ago, driving in FP1 there instead of Hamilton.

The change didn’t have much of an impact on the Brit’s hopes of victory, as he went on to claim his first Grand Prix triumph in the famous red car.

Leclerc will be hoping to get to grips with the Red Bull Ring in FP2 this weekend, where he will be playing catch-up after missing out on the first practice session. The circuit is among the shortest on the F1 calendar, meaning straight line speed will be a deciding factor when it comes to the 71-lap race.

Looking ahead to the Austrian Grand Prix, Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur said: “We arrive in Austria encouraged by our positive showing over the past few races.

“We are fully aware that there is still a lot of work to do and that we must continue to focus on ourselves. We will approach this weekend with the same method and mindset that we have adopted since the start of the season.

“[We are] aiming to put together clean sessions in every respect, from track execution to the strategic decisions taken on the pit wall.

“We know that every weekend has a different story to tell, which is why we will continue to take the championship one race at a time.”