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Ferrari have two options to replace Charles Leclerc should the Monegasque racer be forced to miss a Formula One race between now and the end of the season. While Leclerc has said he does not intend to miss any of the remaining races, it remains a possibility. His wife, Alexandra, is pregnant with their first child and, while no due date has been made public, the birth is expected to be just weeks away.
Alexandra has not travelled to an F1 race since the Spanish Grand Prix at the Madring in September. The races since have all been long-distance flyaways from Monaco and are likely to have been deemed too high-risk for her to travel given the stage of pregnancy she is in.
But her husband remains busy. Charles is currently in Austin, Texas for this weekend's United States Grand Prix and has two more races to come in quick succession, in Mexico City and Sao Paulo. There is then one weekend off before another triple header to finish the season with races in Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
Ferrari do not expect their driver to miss any races despite the impending birth of his child. And Leclerc told reporters in Austin: "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."
His plan, should Alexandra go into labour in the coming weeks, is to be in Monaco for as long as possible and fly out late to a race. Ferrari, though, have to make contingency plans in case, for whatever reason, the plan changes and Leclerc is unable to take part in a Grand Prix.
Antonio Giovinazzi, the former Sauber driver, is their official reserve and has been for several years. While he is an option, he is not expected to be first in line to fill in for Leclerc should a replacement be needed. If it were to happen at the Brazilian Grand Prix, the Italian driver will be at Monza for the World Endurance Championship season finale.
Oliver Bearman and Rafael Camara are both on the books at Ferrari, but neither are expected to get the nod to race for the Scuderia. Bearman will be busy racing for Haas while Camara is yet to drive on an F1 weekend and so lacks the experience.
Instead, Dino Beganovic is believed to be the man likely to get the nod. The Swedish-Bosnian driver currently races in Formula 2 but, unlike Camara, has taken part in two free practice sessions for the Scuderia earlier this year, filling in for Lewis Hamilton in Barcelona and driving for an hour in Leclerc's car in Austria.
While not currently an official reserve, Beganovic will take on that role next year. The 22-year-old will also have test and development driver duties in 2027 having graduated from the Ferrari Driver Academy.
Ferrari's presence in Formula 2 will continue, with Finnish driver Tuukka Taponen stepping up from Formula 3 next year.
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