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HomeRacingWho are the 2025 F1 rookies? Antonelli, Bearman and more

Who are the 2025 F1 rookies? Antonelli, Bearman and more


The start of the 2024 Formula 1 season saw the grid completely unchanged from the end of one season to the beginning of the next.

But after a rookie drought, the most recent silly season produced five drivers who took their first full-time F1 seats in 2025.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli replaces Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, Oliver Bearman has signed for Haas, Jack Doohan has been included in the Alpine line-up, with Gabriel Bortoletto on course to join veterans Nico Hulkenberg and Isak Hadjar. Part of the new Sauber duo. Takes the RB seat vacated by Liam Lawson who moves to Red Bull to join Max Verstappen.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Reserve Driver, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team

Photo by: Mark Sutton/Motorsport Images

Andrea Kimi Antonelli made headlines during the Italian GP weekend when it was announced that he would be joining George Russell at Mercedes to replace the outgoing Hamilton.

The 18-year-old Italian joined the Mercedes junior team as a pupil in 2019. A very successful karting career followed a move to cars in 2021, with the Italian making headlines by winning the Italian F4 and German F4 titles in 2022 and the FRECA Middle East and European championships in 2023. (TJ5)

He made the jump to Formula 2 with Bearman in 2024 with Prema and finished sixth in the final standings with two race wins at Silverstone and Hungary.

He made his F1 FP1 season debut at Monza in 2024, and despite crashing after 10 minutes, showed some impressive speed. Questions arose about his preparation for F1, but the same weekend he was announced as Mercedes’ F1 driver for 2025.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff recently spoke about expectations from the young Antonelli, saying: “If you expect him to be on pole position in Melbourne, win races and compete for the championship straight away, The risk is higher because it won’t happen.” Happen.

“If we take into account that he is only 18 years old, very talented, but he needs to grow and make mistakes at first, the risk is low.”

The pressure is undoubtedly on Antonelli, but it’s clear Wolff isn’t expecting him to have a baptism of fire. Antonelli and Mercedes may choose to use 2025 for a year of adaptation before the 2026 regulation changes, and then, once the changes kick in, perhaps we’ll see Antonelli challenging for the front of the grid more often.

As an experienced and multiple race-winning driver, teammate Russell will serve as a good mentor to Antonelli, making his Formula 1 debut in 2019.

Oliver Bearman – Haas

Oliver Bearman, Haas VF-24

Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images

Bearman made his F1 debut at the 2024 Saudi Arabia GP, where he replaced Carlos Sainz, who was suffering from appendicitis, at Ferrari. He finished an impressive seventh in points on debut.

He then filled in for Haas’s Kevin Magnussen at the Azerbaijan GP after the Dane received a race ban for accruing 12 penalty points. Once again Bearman impressed, finishing 10th, ahead of teammate Nico Hülkenberg, who overtook him at the end of the race.

This finish meant that he scored points for both teams he raced that year, and he became the only F1 driver in history to score points for two different teams in his first two F1 starts.

The 19-year-old again replaced Magnussen at the Brazilian GP after the Haas driver withdrew due to illness. He finished 12th in a disorganized, rain-filled race.

He is no longer technically a complete novice after three Grand Prix starts, but he will take his first full-time F1 drive in 2025.

Bearman won Italian F4 with Van Amersfoort Racing in 2021, and then moved up to F3 with Prema in 2022, where he finished third. He joined the F2 grid in 2023 and finished sixth and will remain in the series until 2024. He finished 12th, missing two weekends where he raced in F1 in Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan, winning (TJ7) and three sprint races in Monza, Austria. And Qatar.

Before the British GP it was announced that Bearman would join Haas, and later that month it was confirmed that Esteban Ocon would join the young British.

Bearman has already put in some solid performances in F1, which shows he isn’t afraid to battle with some of the more experienced drivers on the grid. With the Haas team looking to improve performance during the 2024 season, Bearman will likely be an asset to the team, working with Ocon to further develop the car and deliver some good results.

Jack Doohan – Alpine

Jack Doohan, Alpine A524

Photo by: Steven Tee/Motorsport Images

After serving as Alpine’s reserve driver since 2023, it was announced that Australian driver Jack Doohan would replace him at Alpine for 2025 alongside Pierre Gasly.

In his junior career, he was the Australian karting champion and finished fifth in British F4 in 2018. He finished second in the F3 Asian Championship in both 2019 and 2020, and second in F3 in 2021.

He finished third in F2, before leaving the championship to pursue his reserve driver capacity full-time in 2023.

Doohan has taken part in several tests and FP sessions for the Alpine team and will make his F1 debut at the 2024 Abu Dhabi GP, replacing Ocon, who was released early to move to Haas.

He had a relatively quiet race and finished 15th, but in his post-race interview he said: “I’m very happy with the whole experience, I was honestly learning every lap, and it’s such a valuable experience to be able to Will go to take it forward from next season.”

Doohan has been a well-known and well-liked figure around the paddock for some time, and his dedication to the Alpine team has now been rewarded with a full-time drive. Some have questioned Doohan’s readiness to join F1, as he has not won any junior formula titles.

However, with the first race, he will be able to overcome the first race jitters.

Isaac Hadjar – RB

Isak Hadjar, Red Bull Racing RB20

Photo by: Steven Tee/Motorsport Images

In December 2024 it was announced that French-Algerian driver Isaac Hadjar would replace Lawson at RB, partnering Yuki Tsunoda, as the Kiwi driver was promoted to Red Bull alongside Verstappen.

Highlights of his junior career include finishing third in French F4 in 2020 and fourth in F3 in 2022 with three race wins.

In his first F2 season in 2023, he achieved only one podium, but the following year he improved significantly and challenged for the title.

Heading into the final 2024 F2 race weekend in Abu Dhabi, Hadjar trailed fellow F1 rookie Bortoletto by just half a point. Bortoletto finished second in the sprint race to Hadjar’s fifth, reducing the gap to four points, meaning the battle was still tight. But it was to be a sad one for Hadjar, as his car stalled at the start of the feature race, ending his title hopes.

Hadjar has been part of the Red Bull Junior Driver Program since 2022, taking part in various FP sessions, and driving for Red Bull alongside Tsunoda in the post-season test in Abu Dhabi. He also served as a Red Bull and RB reserve driver in 2024 after Lawson joined the grid.

Commenting on Hadjar’s junior career, RB Team Principal Laurent Mekies said: “His journey to Formula 1 has been nothing short of excellent, he has shown remarkable growth in the junior single-seater ranks with a series of impressive results.

“He has the talent and motivation necessary to compete at the highest level, and we are confident he will adapt quickly and make a significant impact.”

Gabriel Bortoletto – Sober

Gabriele Bortoletto, Steck F1 Team Kicks Sauber C44

Photo by: Andy Hone/Motorsport Images

20-year-old Brazilian driver Gabriel Bortoletto will line up alongside Hulkenberg at Sauber as part of their new line-up in 2025, having gained promotion to F1 after a highly impressive junior career, winning consecutive F3 and F2 titles in 2023 and 2024. In his rookie season.

After an unfortunate start to F2 in 2024, his results improved after three consecutive retirements at the Saudi Arabian Sprint and Feature races, then the Australian Sprint races, and his first race win at the Austrian Feature race. An impressive last-to-first drive at Monza brought even more attention to Bortoletto, and consistent results propelled him to lead the championship by half a point heading into the final race weekend. Hadjar’s bad luck in the feature race and Bortoletto’s second-place finish meant he took the title.

Bortoletto joined the McLaren driver development program in 2023, but was released at the end of 2024 when he signed for Sauber.

He is the first driver since Oscar Piastri to take back-to-back F3 and F2 championships in a rookie season, with the likes of Charles Leclerc and Russell achieving the same feat.

His talent has been noticed by many, not least two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, who has served as Bortoletto’s manager since 2022.

Sauber performed poorly in 2024, finishing last in the Constructors’ Championship with only one point during the season, but are preparing for 2026 when the team will compete as an Audi, and Bortoletto and Hülkenberg will return through 2026 regulation. Audi will help in taking the project forward. Change.

Mattia Binotto, who joins Sauber as COO and CTO in 2024, said: “Gabriel has already demonstrated in the junior categories that he has the abilities necessary to become a winning driver.

“With Gabriel, we are on a journey towards success, and we will grow as a unifying force to shape a new era for Audi in motorsport.

Nico and Gabriel represent the ideal combination of experience and youth, leaving us firmly positioned for the future.

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