14/07/2025 12:40
Ferrari rookie driver Dino Beganovic has claimed it was "a dream"
to partner Lewis Hamilton in first practice at the Austrian Grand
Prix, in what was a "taste test" of life as an F1 driver. Beganovic
is a starring member of Ferrari's development programme and has
been fielded in Bahrain and Austria first practice this season.
The Swedish-Bosnian driver sits 10th in the Formula 2 drivers'
standings, but has impressed in both FP1 appearances for the
Scuderia. At just 21 years old, Beganovic is living the dream of
working with both Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, whom he has been
watching very closely. According to the young driver, he never
believed he would get the opportunity to partner Hamilton in an F1
garage, with that opportunity spurring him on to keep pushing to
reach the pinnacle of motorsport. "If someone told me last year
that I would be sharing the garage with Lewis, taking the place of
Charles, it would be something I wouldn't really believe at first,
but it's a dream that is coming true," Beganovic told RacingNews365
during an interview. "Obviously, I'm still not where I want to
be, which is Formula 1. But getting these kind of taste tests every
now and then just gives you more motivation to want it even more
and work even harder for it." Valuable knowledge has been gained by
Beganovic this season, monitoring the way Hamilton and Leclerc work
with the Maranello-based outfit. Whilst there are minimal
differences, Hamilton's hunger at 40 years old to win an eighth
drivers' title has left him in awe. "There is a lot to take out of
how Charles is working with the team, how Lewis is working with the
team," added Beganovic. "Obviously, he's won seven world
championships in Formula 1 and plenty of races. "So, the way of
working, it's not different, because we are still all hungry to
win. But I'm just impressed by how hungry he [Hamilton] is at the
age he is, pushing so hard to get Ferrari to the top, but also to
get himself to that eighth [championship]."
