The 22-year-old Japanese driver made his Formula 1 debut last April at the Japanese Grand Prix, where he finished 16th in the first practice session.
Iwasa's presence in the session alongside Yuki Tsunoda from "RB" marked a historic moment for Japan, as it was the first time a Formula 1 team fielded a completely Japanese lineup in a session. This appearance followed Iwasa's first F1 tests which took place last year in Abu Dhabi, where he impressed the "RB" team leader Laurent Mekies.
After winning the French Formula 4 Championship in 2020, Iwasa moved up to the Formula 3 Championship a year later. He then spent two years in F2, securing five race victories with the "DAMS" team, finishing fifth in 2022 and fourth in 2023, behind series champion Theo Pourchaire, Frederik Vesti, and "Alpine" protégé Jack Doohan.
This year, Iwasa competed in the highly competitive Super Formula Championship in Japan with "Mugen" and ultimately finished fifth, earning two podiums during his campaign.
On Friday in the first practice, Iwasa will be racing alongside Liam Lawson, while Tsunoda will miss the session at the Yas Marina circuit, where the 2024 Formula 1 season will conclude.