Formula 1 Bench: What Do F1 Reserve Drivers Do?

Reserve drivers are tasked with a number of duties and responsibilities during the season and race day.

Mainly, they serve as an alternate driver incase the primary drivers for the team are not prepared to race that day or sustained an injury. The reserve driver can commonly be seen in the garage or in the background near the pit wall as they patiently wait to be called upon.

During the first free practice session of each race weekend, the reserve driver is generally given time to practice riding the track. From a week-to-week standpoint, they usually practice driving on the teams simulator, with data and analysis being fed back to the constructors. Outside of a race weekend, reserve drivers may be afforded time in the car post or preseason for testing as well.

No reserve in Formula 1 history has stepped in during a race weekend and left victorious, but one man came close. In 1997, Gerhard Berger took three races off following the passing of his father, and Alexander Wurz was tasked to step in. He didn't finish the first two races but on his last day, he claimed a third place and podium finish for his team.

Having the reserve driver deal with a massive amount of testing and simulation over the course of a season helps keep them prepared, while simultaneously making them a better driver overall. They gain new insight into their cars while learning every little detail of how it performs.

Formula 1 and the FIA are very reclusive with releasing specific financial reports, but we do know a little bit about how these reserve drivers are paid.

They are seen as salaried employees, same as the regular drivers. This means that the reserve driver agrees on a given flat salary at the start of their contract, with room to gain extra money through incentives or team wins.

If a reserve is tasked with stepping in and racing for their team, they generally will be awarded a cash compensation for their time in the car. This cash compensation can change drastically depending on the size and popularity of a constructor. Generally, the reservers for the top F1 teams are paid near the top of the pay scale. Those are teams such as Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren, and other high-profile constructors.

During a 2020 race, Ralf Schumacher said during the broadcast that Mercedes reserve driver Nico Hülkenberg would be paid between three-hundred to five-hundred thousand pounds. This is most likely very far from what the average reserve driver makes, as Mercedes is a premier team.

With F1 wages varying between five hundred thousand to fifty million dollars, it can be estimated that reserve drivers in Formula 1 get paid anywhere between twenty-five thousand and five-hundred thousand dollars every year.

Red Bull Drivers: Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez Reserver Drivers: Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson

Ferrari Drivers: Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Reserver Drivers: Antonio Giovinazzi and Robert Shwartzman

Mercedes Drivers: Lewis Hamilton and George Russell Reserver Driver: Mick Schumacher

Alpine Drivers: Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly Reserver Driver: Jack Doohan

McLaren Drivers: Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri Reserver Drivers: Alex Palou and Mick Schumacher

Alfa Romeo Drivers: Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu Reserver Driver: Theo Pourchaire

Aston Martin Drivers: Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll Reserver Drivers: Felipe Drugovich and Stoffel Vandoorne

Haas Drivers: Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg Reserver Driver: Pietro Fittipaldi

AlphaTauri Drivers: Yuki Tsunoda and Nyck de Vries Reserver Driver: N/A

Williams Drivers: Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant Reserver Driver: N/A