Who exactly are the reserve drivers for every Formula 1 team in 2026? Besides the two regular race drivers, each outfit also has at least one driver who can jump into the car at the last minute in case of emergency. And for the 2026 season those are familiar names too, such as Yuki Tsunoda and Zhou Guanyu. We list all the reserve drivers for the upcoming season.
In addition to their two race seats, every team on the Formula 1 grid also keeps at least one reserve driver. Often that role is filled by young talent – for example, Oscar Piastri spent a year as Alpine’s reserve before his F1 debut – but increasingly established names are waiting on the sidelines. Yuki Tsunoda, for instance, was still Max Verstappen’s team-mate at Red Bull last season, yet in 2026 he serves as the Austrians’ reserve driver.
Zhou Guanyu – a former Sauber driver – and Antonio Giovinazzi – a former driver at the then-Alfa Romeo – are reserve drivers for Cadillac and Ferrari respectively. Zhou announced in early January that he would swap the Scuderia for newcomer Cadillac.
Who are the reserve drivers of the F1 teams in 2026?
| Team | Reserve driver |
| McLaren | Pato O’Ward |
| Mercedes | Frederik Vesti |
| Red Bull | Yuki Tsunoda |
| Ferrari | Antonio Giovinazzi |
| Williams | Luke Browning |
| Racing Bulls | Ayumu Iwasa |
| Aston Martin | Jak Crawford |
| Haas | Ryō Hirakawa |
| Audi | TBA |
| Alpine | Paul Aron |
| Cadillac | Zhou Guanyu |
See the F1 calendar for 2026.
