As the 2024 Formula 1 season comes to an end, it’s time to welcome our 2025 rookies to the grid. Starting their Formula 1 journey this year are Jack Doohan for Alpine, Kimi Antonelli for Mercedes, Isack Hadjar for Visa Cash App Racing Bulls, Ollie Bearman for Haas, and Gabriel Bortoleto for Kick Sauber… I’m out of breath, that's such a long list. Let’s give them a warm welcome and introduce the newbies of the grid.
Ollie Bearman - Haas
Starting with the Ferrari Academy prodigy, Ollie Bearman will be joining Haas alongside Esteban Ocon, who moves on from Alpine. The British driver was in action on multiple occasions this year, scoring points on his F1 debut with Ferrari and once again with Haas later in the season. When Carlos Sainz had appendicitis, Ollie jumped into the car and proved himself worthy of a full time seat. As Kevin Magnussen was suspended for a race, Ollie made history as the only driver to score points on debut for two different Formula 1 teams in a single season. Ollie is known for his activity on social media, charisma, and love of sprite in massive champagne bottles.
Kimi Antonelli - Mercedes
Ollie Bearman’s Formula 2 teammate, Kimi Antonelli, replaces none other than the seven-time world champion Sir Lewis Hamilton. Antonelli did spend some time in a Formula 1 car this year, including his unfortunate FP1 debut in Monza, which led to Kimi crashing poor George Russell’s car into a barrier. That however did not scare off Mercedes from announcing their top academy driver as Hamilton’s replacement the next day. Kimi is known for his quick race pace, love for his idol Lewis Hamilton, and goofy personality. He will soon be the youngest driver on the grid at just 18 years old. There will be a lot of attention on Antonelli as he pairs up with George Russell and to see if he is ready for the step up to Formula 1. With his Italian heritage, there are high hopes for him to be the next best Italian driver since Alberto Ascari.
Gabriel Bortoleto - Kick Sauber
Gabriel Bortoleto, a back-to-back Formula 2 and Formula 3 championship winner, becomes only the fourth driver to have back-to-back championships, joining Charles Leclerc, George Russell, and Oscar Piastri. The former McLaren development driver will take on the challenge of driving the troubled Kick Sauber alongside his new teammate Nico Hulkenberg. Last season Sauber failed to gain more than a single point. Can Bortoleto help turn the team around? On the other hand, Nico Hulkenberg has proved to be a great teammate and could be an excellent driver for Bortoleto to learn from. Gabriel is known for his Brazilian heritage and fan base, his perfect junior career, and endorsement from Max Verstappen. The four-time world champion said “I’d have signed him already” when asked about Bortoleto pre- driver announcement. Fans can get excited to have a Brazilian driver back on the track, engaging one of the most prominent fan bases in the sport.
Isack Hadjar - VCARB
In a tight battle between Gabriel Bortoleto and Isack Hadjar, Isack finished as runner-up in the Formula 2 championship. With Liam Lawson’s promotion to Red Bull Racing, this opened up a spot at VCARB for Hadjar to take his place, ending this year’s silly season and completing the 2025 grid. The Red Bull development driver performed well in F2 and will fight to make a name for himself as he joins VCARB. Isack is known for his natural racecraft, his Algerian and French heritage, and his brief time as Red Bull’s reserve driver after Lawson’s move to VCARB. In post-season testing, he was reportedly faster than future teammate Yuki Tsunoda, according to Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner. There is a lot that Hadjar can learn from Tsunoda, given they have shared a similar path to Formula 1 through the Red Bull Junior program. It will be of interest to see how he fares against his new teammate.
Jack Doohan - Alpine
Jack Doohan graced our screens in the final race of the 2024 season, replacing Esteban Ocon in Abu Dhabi. Although he did not make it into the points, he managed a clean race on a day that saw four drivers DNF. A fun fact about the 21-year-old Aussie is that he was gifted his first go-kart by none other than seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher. During his time in Formula 3, he was a member of the Red Bull Junior program, however he moved to Alpine Academy for Formula 2. Doohan competed in Formula 2 in the 2022 and 2023 seasons and has since taken on the reserve driver role at Alpine. This has allowed him to spend the time with his future team and learn from the likes of Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon. With Franco Colapinto recently signing on as Alpine’s reserve driver, will this add pressure on Doohan to perform well in his debut season? With an F1 race over most of the rookies, it should be interesting to see how he performs at the first race of the season, a race that also happens to be his home race in Australia.
Liam Lawson - Red Bull Racing
Okay so maybe he isn’t a total rookie, but 2025 will hopefully mark his first full season on the Formula 1 grid. The Kiwi driver will be taking on the most desired (and scary) second seat alongside Max Verstappen. He has the most F1 experience amongst the rookies with stepping in for injured Daniel Ricciardo in 2023 and later replacing him entirely this season. We will be looking forward to seeing how he performs in the senior Red Bull team compared to his time at VCARB.
A 2025 snub?
With so many rookies joining the grid this year, fans are wondering when Aston Martin reserve driver and former Formula 2 champion Felipe Drugovich will get his shot with a Formula 1 team. In an interview with the Pitstop Podcast, Liam Lawson said “if anyone deserves a seat right now, it's Drugovich”. Will Drugovich get his chance in 2025?
The 2025 season will see five new drivers join the circus. Formula 1 returns March 14th in Melbourne, Australia and we simply cannot wait to see this group of rookies take to the grid and see the impact of 2024’s silly season.
Edited by Neha Grewal
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