Charles Leclerc insists he will not miss a grand prix when his first child is born, but Ferrari has reportedly lined up a stand-in in case plans change.

The Monegasque and his wife Alexandra are expecting their first baby during the last weeks of the 2026 Formula 1 season. The couple have not revealed when the baby is expected, but Alexandra’s last F1 appearance was at the Madring in September which gives us a little to go on.

With five long-haul races still to come, starting in Mexico City this weekend, Leclerc will be finishing the season with a hectic stint of flights.

“I don’t think I’ll miss a race, but obviously I’ll do absolutely everything to be at home as much as possible in between those races,” Leclerc said in Austin. “So, I might arrive a little bit late. But I will be doing the races on Sunday.”

So who would Ferrari call on if he could not make it?

Dino Beganovic

It's understood that Ferrari Driver Academy member Dino Beganovic is the most likely driver to stand in for Leclerc and be partner to Lewis Hamilton.

The 22-year-old Swede is competing in Formula 2 this year, but already has some experience of this year’s Ferrari after he drove Hamilton’s car in first practice in Barcelona earlier this season. He also took part in a second FP1 session in Leclerc’s car in Austria.

He is due to become Ferrari’s official reserve, test and development driver in 2027.

Antonio Giovinazzi

Ferrari’s long-serving reserve driver Antonio Giovinazzi is another option. The Italian raced in F1 with Alfa Romeo between 2019 and 2021, and has since driven for Ferrari in the World Endurance Championship.

He's not expected to be first in line to the Scuderia throne, and to make things harder for him, he will be unavailable during the weekend of the Brazilian Grand Prix anyway due to his responsibilities in the WEC.

#51 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Antonio Giovinazzi

Photo by: FIA WEC / DPPI

Who is not in the running?

Ferrari junior Ollie Bearman will already be behind the wheel of a Haas F1 car, while fellow academy driver Rafael Camara has not yet driven in an F1 session, making both highly unlikely choices.

Leclerc is fifth in the drivers’ championship, and Ferrari is second in the constructors’ standings, 133 points behind Mercedes ahead of this weekend. The Italian team is well clear of Red Bull and McLaren, which are tied for third, so missing a single race would be unlikely to cost it second place.

Leclerc has finished second in each of the last two races, in Singapore and Austin, and said after the US Grand Prix that he was confident of having “a shot to win a race before the end of the season”.