The 2025 F1 rookies: how six wunderkinds became grand prix drivers

He made his single-seater debut in 2021, racing selected events in the Italian Formula 4 and UAE Formula 4 championships, and returned to the former series the following year to claim the title. An additional title-winning campaign in the ADAC F4 Championship saw him graduate to Formula Regional in 2023, where he won further championships in Europe and the Middle East.

Antonelli then spent 2024 in Formula 2, racing for the decorated Prema outfit alongside fellow F1-graduate-to-be Oliver Bearman. Despite the team’s struggle for performance, Antonelli still found a way to shine in the series, culminating in a sprint race victory at Silverstone and a feature race win in Hungary. He ultimately finished sixth in the championship.

Outside of F2, the Italian completed extensive F1 testing for Mercedes, in which he impressed behind the wheel of the W13 at Imola. He then made his F1 race weekend debut at the Italian Grand Prix, where he subbed in for Hamilton during FP1 and continued to impress — heading through the Ascari chicane 7mph quicker than anyone else — although he then crashed hard on only his second flying lap.

In the face of his obvious and immense talent, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has tried to take the pressure off his young prodigy.

“If you expect him to be on pole position in Melbourne, win the race and immediately compete for the championship, then the risk is high because that won’t happen,” the Austrian told Auto Motor und Sport. “If we take the approach that the boy is 18 years old, very talented, but of course has to grow into it first and will make mistakes, then the risk is limited. That’s why we’re doing it. We see 2025 as a transition year and want to prepare him for 2026.”

Oliver Bearman

Haas

Oliver Bearman made reserve appearances in three grands prix last year, which was enough to make him one of the F1 grid’s biggest stars in 2024.

After an impressive junior campaign, the young Briton first turned F1 heads with an eye-catching F2 campaign in 2023, in which he won three feature races and finished sixth in the championship.

He was later announced as Ferrari’s F1 reserve for 2024, and was almost immediately called into action to replace Carlos Sainz — sidelined with appendicitis — at the second round of the season in Saudi Arabia.

After just a single practice session he qualified eleventh and was able to climb through the field to finish an impressive seventh.

Bearman then returned to F2 where, despite Prema’s underperformance, he was still able to drag his car into competitive positions. He won the sprint in Austria and Monza and was later rewarded with a confirmed drive with Haas for 2025.

As the season drew to a close, Bearman was given further F1 chances: replacing Kevin Magnussen in Azerbaijan and Sao Paulo — scoring points in Baku race and outqualifying Nico Hülkenberg in Brazil.

Out of all six rookies, the Briton arguably looks most likely to hit the ground running and will aim to measure up against fellow Haas newcomer Esteban Ocon.

Gabriel Bortoleto

Sauber

Despite it being his rookie season, Gabriel Bortoleto is already part of an exclusive F1 club.

The Brazilian will race for Sauber in 2025, but joins Charles Leclerc, George Russell and Oscar Piastri as the only F1 drivers to win the Formula 3/GP3 and Formula 2 titles (in their current form) in back-to-back years.

Along with Bortoleto’s talent, comes the canny management of Fernando Alonso: being personally managed by the two-time F1 champion has helped Bortoleto to rise rapidly through the motor sport ranks.

2025 will likely be a new challenge, as the performance of Sauber is expected to keep both Bortoleto and team-mate Nico Hülkenberg at the back of the grid. But with Audi completing its takeover of the team in 2026, Bortoleto has been highlighted as a vital building block for its future.

“I have been asking some drivers who have been driving with him and everyone was very impressed,” said Sauber team boss Mattia Binotto. “But also because he is very young. For our journey, for the Audi F1 team, growing together with a young driver was very important.

“When we met I was immediately impressed by the attitude. So not only as a driver we decided, but as a person. He can really be a leader for the team. He’s already demonstrated in the junior categories that he has what it takes to be a winning driver.”

Isack Hadjar

Racing Bulls

Isack Hadjar will race alongside Yuki Tsunoda at Racing Bulls in 2025 — replacing the Red Bull-bound Liam Lawson.

The Frenchman fell just short of the 2024 F2 title after failing to start at the season finale in Abu Dhabi, but his consistent performances across the season ultimately convinced Red Bull bosses that he was F1 ready.

Hadjar had only three pointless weekends throughout the season, secured podium finishes in Monaco, Austria and Qatar and won feature races at Melbourne, Imola, Silverstone and Spa.

Prior to that, Hadjar had turned the heads of Helmut Marko and Christian Horner with third-place finishes in the 2020 French F4 championship and the 2022 Formula Regional Asian Championship.

In 2024, the 20-year-old had several free practice outings for both Red Bull and RB and completed post-season testing for the latter in Abu Dhabi, where he outpaced Yuki Tsunoda‘s best time in identical machinery.

“We’re excited to have Isack with us next year, bringing a new and fresh dynamic to the team alongside Yuki in 2025,” said Laurent Mekies, Racing Bulls team principal. “His journey to Formula 1 has been nothing short of outstanding, he has shown remarkable growth, with a series of impressive results in the junior single-seater ranks. He has the talent and drive necessary to compete at the highest level, and we have every confidence that he will adapt quickly and make a significant impact.”

Jack Doohan

Alpine

Jack Doohan was among the very first rookies to be confirmed for 2025, yet his long-term future as a team-mate to Pierre Gasly at Alpine is already in doubt.

The Aussie has had an extensive and largely successful motor sport career so far, having won races in every single-seater series he has entered since 2021, and has proven that when given the tools to succeed, he can deliver. But that could all change in 2025.

Although Doohan will start the season for Alpine, the team has also signed the highly-rated Franco Colapinto as a reserve, and appears to favour him over Doohan. Some reports speculate that Doohan will compete in only six races after which the team’s executive advisor, Flavio Briatore, will decide to either keep him or put Franco Colapinto in the seat instead.

Colapinto joined Alpine after impressing for Williams over a nine-race reserve stint last year, and also brings with him a range of sponsors.

“Given the opportunities they were given as rookies, both Colapinto and Doohan did enough to suggest they could have an F1 future,” said Hughes for Motor Sport. “But Colapinto’s opportunities were greater, with more races in which to make an impression.

“Doohan’s task could hardly be clearer in these first few races. Maybe his destiny has already been decided but he cannot let that influence his approach.”

Liam Lawson

Red Bull

Liam Lawson has been thrown into F1’s deep end. After just 11 grand prix appearances, he has been selected to replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull and will partner Max Verstappen for 2025.

It’s a position that has arguably become less and less desirable in recent years, due to Verstappen’s tendency to destroy whoever Red Bull place in the adjoining garage. Lawson may have a better chance than most of at least running consistently close to F1’s reigning world champion, though.

The long-term Red Bull junior arrives at the Milton Keynes outfit with a dazzling CV, including the uncanny record of winning on the first race weekend of every single-seater category he had entered (before F1).

But it wasn’t his junior career that turned heads at Red Bull. Instead, it was his performance as a reserve in 2023.

After Daniel Ricciardo broke his hand in an accident during a practice session at Zandvoort, Lawson was handed the AlphaTauri seat and had just one hour-long practice session before qualifying. He started 19th, but was able to battle through tumultuous weather conditions and finished 13th.

In the rounds that followed, Lawson continued to stake his claim to a full-time F1 seat, as he finished 11th in Italy, ninth in Singapore (where he also outqualified both Red Bulls), 11th in Japan and 17th in Qatar.

Despite his performance Lawson was overlooked for a full-time seat in 2024, but soon found himself back in the action as he replaced Ricciardo again — this time for good — for the final six rounds of the season. Lawson scored points in the US and Sao Paulo Grands Prix, ran consistently close to temporary team-mate Yuki Tsunoda, and was ultimately selected over the Japanese driver for a seat at Red Bull in 2025.

“Liam’s a product of our junior team. He’s a young talent that we took on six years ago and have nurtured him through the lower formula as we did with Sebastian Vettel, as we have done with Max,” said Horner.  “I think that we’re seeing in him a character and a robustness to deal with the pressure of being Max’s team-mate. He’s only done 11 grands prix, but what he’s shown in those 11 grands prix has impressed us, the engineering staff.

“Of course, the scrutiny that he will be under as Max’s team-mate [will be immense].”