The new regulation meant teams were obliged to give two free practice sessions per season to a driver who had not yet competed in more than two grands prix. As teams fulfilled this requirement, a total of ten ‘rookies’ who had not taken part in a race got their opportunity to run in practice.
There was also Pietro Fittipaldi, who had already contested two races for Haas in 2020, but still fell under the jurisdiction of the clause.
