I have Fedora installed and I'm trying to install Bazzite alongside it. The installer keeps using the existing EFI partition on sda1. Do I need a separate one for each distro?
Why is my second Linux install using the first distro's EFI partition?
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No, sharing the existing EFI System Partition is normal. Multiple operating systems can put their boot files there, usually in separate directories. You don't need a separate EFI partition just because you're installing another distro.
In the installer, select the existing EFI partition and use it as the EFI mount point, commonly /boot/efi. Make sure it is not marked for formatting, since that could remove Fedora's boot files.
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Sharing the partition doesn't necessarily mean you'll get a menu with both systems automatically. The firmware may have separate boot entries for Fedora and Bazzite, and whether a bootloader detects the other installation depends on its configuration.
After installation, check the firmware boot menu if the system goes straight into one distro. From Linux, efibootmgr can also show the registered UEFI boot entries.
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If the goal is just to run Fedora tools while using Bazzite, a Fedora container through a tool such as Distrobox may be enough. It won't replace a full Fedora installation, but it could avoid the dual boot setup altogether.
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the-auxiliary-drawer:
Check the installer's proposed changes before confirming. Mounting the partition and formatting it are different actions.