Early in the season, most teams were in no hurry to field rookies as they felt their race drivers needed all the mileage they could get in the new cars. Latterly some have maintained that focus as they are in tight battles in the constructors' championship.
In addition, the budget cap means that teams are warier than ever about a rookie generating expensive damage, as happened with Alfonso Celis Jr and Force India in Mexico in 2017.
Teams now have only six races left in which to field a rookie on Friday, and of those Brazil – which as a sprint weekend sees FP1 followed by qualifying – is obviously off the table.
That leaves just five other events, several of which also feature compromises. The risks associated with Singapore mean that the street venue won't be chosen, especially as race drivers haven't been there since 2019 and will have to adjust to cars that are expected to be tricky to handle.McLaren's plans are also not clear. The team would love to get Piastri in the car if Alpine agrees to release him early. However, it also has IndyCar races Colton Herta, Pato O'Ward and Alex Palou lined up, all of whom have driven the 2021 car and are qualified to run in FP1s. Zak Brown had hinted that O'Ward will drive in Mexico, but none of the three has been guaranteed a run.
