New Kids on the Block: Introducing 2025’s Rookies
Formula One will welcome six new rookies for the 2025 season – more than a quarter of the grid. A few of them will replace outbound old heads including Kevin Magnussen and Valtteri Bottas. Others, however, will be slotting into new roles to help their respective teams grow.
The 2025 grid boasts the most amount of rookies since 2013, when Valtteri Bottas, Max Chilton, Jules Bianchi, Giedo van der Garde, and Esteban Gutierrez all joined the sport.
In this article, we’ll give you a few reasons to cheer each of them on.
Liam Lawson
Image: Mark Thompson (Red Bull Content Pool)
With just eleven races under his belt, Liam Lawson has made a name for himself at the pinnacle of motorsport. From tussles with his predecessor, Sergio Perez, to eliminating Max Verstappen in Qualifying in just his third race, Lawson has undoubtedly proven his worth.
Filling in for Daniel Ricciardo following his wrist injury in 2023, Lawson scored points at the Singapore Grand Prix, where he knocked out Verstappen from Q3. Finishing ahead of teammate Yuki Tsunoda in four out of his five races in 2023 saw him earn a seat the following season after Ricciardo was dropped from the team following a string of bad results.
Despite Tsunoda out-scoring Lawson this time round, the Kiwi was promoted to the second Red Bull seat following Sergio Perez’s exit from the sister team.
The 22-year-old will race alongside Verstappen for the 2025 season in the RB21, which won the driver’s championship last season.
Lawson’s track record has been stellar. Having finished third in the 2022 F2 season, where Aston Martin’s Felipe Drugovich took victory, Lawson went on to finish runners-up in the following year’s Super Formula Championship with Mugen.
With results like these, we’re sure that Lawson’s first season for Red Bull will be a success.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli
Image: Formula One
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, lovingly referred to as simply Kimi Antonelli has made waves in the motorsport world ever since he stepped into a car.
Antonelli has been on the tongue of every Formula One fan including social media likening his presence to that of Ayrton Senna’s, to his promising debut in Formula One during FP1 at last year’s Italian Grand Prix, aged just 18.
It’s safe to say when the Italian makes his debut in Melbourne in just over a month, many will be keeping a keen eye on his performance.
Dubbed the “next Verstappen” by 1997 F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve, Antonelli will have large shoes to fill following Lewis Hamilton’s departure from the Mercedes team, after 12 seasons of success.
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff seems very hopeful that Antonelli will help return Mercedes to where it once was, having won eight consecutive constructor’s titles.
Toto Wolff on Antonelli:
“We see 2025 as a year of transition and we want to prepare him for 2026, when everything will restart again for everyone.”
Partnering up alongside George Russell, there’s no doubt that Antonelli will be learning from Russell’s experience, having raced in Formula One for six seasons, achieving three wins and 15 podiums in that time.
What’s even more impressive about the 18-year-old is that he only started racing in single-seaters in 2021, with just a three-year-long journey from UAE F4 to Formula One. With a career trajectory like that, there’s no wonder why he’s being compared to Verstappen.
Jack Doohan
Image: Formula One
Jack Doohan has been the subject of several social media hate comments due to his arrival into the Alpine family. His drive was announced alongside the expulsion of Esteban Ocon, following a collision with teammate Pierre Gasly at the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix.
The situation has been made worse since Alpine signed Franco Colapinto as its reserve driver. Social media rumours suggest that Alpine have given Doohan six races to bring in good results. If the Aussie doesn’t perform, then Colapinto will replace him from the seventh race.
Then again, they’re just social media rumours. Remember when it was suggested that Fernando Alonso could replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull? If that’s a reason not to be doubtful of social media, then we don’t know what is.
Rumours aside, Doohan has a track record to back up his Formula One debut, which makes him only the fourth Aussie to race in Formula One in the last two decades.
Doohan has finished 3rd and 2nd place in F3 and in F2, making his talent all the more evident. The 22-year-old’s father, Mick Doohan, is a legendary motorcycle racer, who has won five consecutive 500cc World Championships.
With a pedigree like that, we’re sure Doohan will do just fine.
Gabriel Bortoleto
Image: Formula 2
The latest Formula Two champion, Gabriel Bortoleto will join the Kick Sauber outfit alongside Nico Hulkenberg for 2025.
The 20-year-old was McLaren’s development driver for 2024 and has shown speed in multiple categories. He’s one of the very few drivers that have won the F3 and F2 championship on debut – the last driver to do that was Oscar Piastri in 2021.
Bortoleto was so good that he piqued the interest of Fernando Alonso, who signed the Brazilian to his A14 Management firm, which manages drivers including Nicola Tsolov, Pepe Marti, and Maximilian Günther.
With Alonso taking the young Sauber driver under his wing, I’m sure the Spaniard’s investment will pay off.
Bortoleto’s pairing next to Hulkenberg will be an interesting one to see as the Sauber team grapples with the upcoming Audi project, set to take over from the start of the 2026 season. A case of new versus old, Bortoleto will be a driver you’ll definitely want to keep your eye on.
Oliver Bearman
Image: Scuderia Ferrari F1 HP
Ollie Bearman is the UK’s best hope at replicating the success of Lando Norris or George Russell. A young Brit, coming into a struggling team, hoping to make an impact from day one.
His debut with Ferrari at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix stunned critics after finishing seventh despite having no practice in the car beforehand.
Filling in for Kevin Magnussen twice in 2024, the 19-year-old will hope to bring Haas to the top of the midfield, as encouraged by Nico Hulkenberg’s brilliant performances last season.
Bearman’s impact was so profound, Haas team principal, Ayao Komatsu, has high expectations of Bearman.
Ayao Komatsu on Ollie Bearman:
"Yes. He is a Ferrari driver and we've got him for two years - plus an option for an extra one – but if we do a good job and if Ollie does a good job, there's no way Ferrari can ignore that.”
Teaming up alongside Esteban Ocon, Bearman will no doubt be raring to prove himself as he bids for an eventual Ferrari seat potentially after Hamilton retires from the sport.
Winning championships in ADAC F4 and Italian F4 in 2021, Bearman brings a lot of success and potential to a team that promises to deliver regular points.
Isack Hadjar
Image: Dutch Photo Agency/Red Bull Content Pool
Over the last few years, we haven’t seen that many new faces come up through the renowned Red Bull junior driver programme. Bar Liam Lawson, the last nee Red Bull hopeful to come up the ranks via the scheme was Yuki Tsunoda, who made his debut all the way back in 2021.
Isack Hadjar promises to revive the programme following Liam Lawson’s promotion to the Red Bull team.
The French-Algerian driver finished an agonising P2 in last year’s Formula Two championship, and had finished in the top three in French F4 and the Formula Regional Asian Championship.
With Hadjar’s promotion, the 20-year-old is the 19th driver to be promoted to Formula One through Red Bull’s junior driver programme. What’ll be really interesting will be whether Hadjar can match Yuki Tsunoda’s speed, which he has displayed over his four seasons with VCARB.
We’re sure Hadjar’s arrival in F1 will be welcome as the first new French driver to join the sport since Pierre Gasly in 2017.
A lot to look forward to
Image: Sky Sports F1
With the start of the 2025 season just a few weeks away, we’ll be watching the results of winter testing really closely.
This season promises to be an absolute classic. A renewed Lewis Hamilton chasing for his 8th, a frustrated Charles Leclerc eager to prove his talent, a motivated Lando Norris seeking revenge for 2024, a hungry Max Verstappen gunning for his fifth consecutive title, and an extremely talented Mercedes duo – bring on 2025!
