F1: Who is Chanoch Nissany? Williams reserve driver Roy Nissany's famous father revealed

Who is Chanoch Nissany? His son, Roy Nissany, replaced George Russell for Williams in the first practice session of the 2021 Spanish Grand Prix. Here’s why F1 fans may recognise the Williams reserve driver’s father.

The 2021 Spanish Grand Prix is here with Valtteri Bottas, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton all looking to take maximum points.

The first practice session took place on Friday morning, with Bottas going fastest ahead of Verstappen in second and Hamilton in third.

There was a few new faces on the grid, with Williams Formula 1 test driver Roy Nissany making his first appearance of 2021.

Here’s what you need to know about him, and who his famous dad is.

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Roy Nissany makes 2021 debut for Williams

Roy Nissany is Williams’ reserve driver making his first appearance in F1 this year.

Nissany linked up with Williams at the end of 2019 and was appointed as its test driver in early 2020.

The Israeli racer, currently competing in Formula 2 with DAMS, has contested three prior practice sessions with Williams.

He also appeared at the corresponding session at last year’s Spanish GP.

This weekend, Nissany took the place of William’s George Russell at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in FP1.

In Friday’s first practice session, he finished 17th, ahead of Mick Schumacher.

However, he was still half a second off team mate Nicholas Latifi in 16th.

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Roy’s father Chanoch Nissany

Roy’s father, Chanoch Nissany, was also an Israeli racing driver, the first Israeli to drive in F1.

According to F1 fandom, Chanoch only started racing in 2002, aged 38, in Hungarian F2000.

After three F3000 races in 2004, Nissany’s personal sponsor, UPEX, secured him a one-off drive in the free practice session in Hungary.

The news of Nissany’s F1 outing was reportedly massive, with local journalists and television crews descending on the event.

Chanoch Nissany eventually took part in free practice for the 2005 Hungarian Grand Prix for Minardi. Unfortunately, he finished 13 seconds off the pace.

Nissany never appeared in an F1 session again, but did take part in four further test days for Minardi. He did continue his racing career, though, winning more championships in Hungary.

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Formula One Spanish Grand Prix: FP2

FP2 begins at 15:00 (BST) as the battle between Mercedes and Red Bull promises to rage on.

Tune into live coverage at formula1.com.

Joshua Rogers

Joshua is a Senior Sports Writer at GRV Media with over five years of experience in online writing and editing. After receiving a BA (Hons) in Ancient History and an MA in Sports Journalism, he became a writer for a leading social publisher with over 7 million Facebook followers. Joshua then joined Reach PLC, covering the 2018 World Cup for The Mirror Online and regional publications like the Liverpool Echo. He then moved to a social media marketing agency and content studio, Brave Bison, acting as Website Editor for The Hook. Joshua now oversees all sports content on The Focus, specializing in NBA, NFL, F1, and tennis, while also keeping a close eye on his beloved Manchester United.