Lewis Hamilton will not take part in the first practice session ahead of this weekend's French Grand Prix as Mercedes fulfil their obligation to give chances to younger drivers.
Normally, Hamilton would be strapping himself into his Mercedes ready for as much practice time as possible to prepare for the business end of a race weekend. But that will not be the case at the Circuit Paul Ricard, with one of the team's junior drivers sitting in his cockpit instead.
Teams are required to replace one of their regular racers with a 'young driver' for at least two FP1 sessions per season, thanks to a lesser-known rule. Each driver is required to miss one session each to give the younger generation a chance to get behind the wheel of an F1 car.
