Meet the six new Formula 1 rookies for 2025: Who are they and what can we expect?
Formula 1 will welcome six new drivers in their first full-time drives in the 2025 season and unlike previous years where rookies have been thrown in at the back of the grid, for 2025 we have a spread of rookies throughout the field.
In this piece, we will take a deeper look at the newest talents to hit the F1 paddock looking into their junior careers to date as well as what to expect from them in their first season.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli - Mercedes
Arguably the most highly anticipated youngster to hit the sport in years, Kimi Antonelli’s name has been on the lips of both F1 and feature series fans.
Born on the 25th August 2006 in Bologna Italy, Antonelli would make his debut into motorsport through the traditional route of karting making his debut in 2014 aged seven.
Becoming a European karting champion, Antonelli secured championship wins in both Italian F4 and ADAC F4 as well as a gold medal at the 2022 FIA motorsport games for his country.
He would rack up both the Formula regional European and Middle Eastern championships which saw him skip the FIA F3 championship and land himself a drive with Prema in F2 for 2024.
Antonelli is tasked with filling the boots of the legendary Lewis Hamilton so the pressure is well and truly on but what F1 fans can expect is what we saw in his short time in FP1 at Monza.
Antonelli will push his car to the limits to get the best performance and he isn’t afraid of taking risks.
Liam Lawson - Redbull
F1 fans will be familiar with Lawson already having made his F1 debut at the 2023 Dutch GP and then coming back into the sport in 2024 replacing Daniel Ricciardo after the Singapore GP.
However, he’s still a rookie as he’s never been announced for a full-time drive prior to a season’s start.
Born in Hastings, New Zealand on 11th February 2002, Lawson secured championships in New Zealand Formula Ford and the Toyota racing series in his junior career in his home country.
Lawson then bounced between series’ taking part in notable categories such as ADAC F4, Asian F3, FIA F3 and F2 as well as DTM.
Despite not finding championship glory since his Toyota racing series win in 2019 Lawson finished runner-up in DTM after a controversial title-deciding final race as well as third in F2 in 2022.
Lawson has already shown his racing attitude in his 11 starts in F1 to date. The Kiwi will fight tooth and nail for every position on the track and isn’t afraid of making his thoughts known.
He’ll be sharing the Red Bull garage with four-time champion Max Verstappen so the challenge for Lawson will be how close can he get to Verstappen and whether can he be a more competent wingman to the Dutchman than Sergio Perez.
Oliver Bearman - Haas
Bearman is another driver who has already raced in F1 in 2024 stepping in for Carlos Sainz in Jeddah and Kevin Magnessen in Baku and Interlagos.
Born in London, United Kingdom on 8th May 2005, 2013 aged 8, Bearman made his Karting debut before progressing to his first Junior Formula E in 2020.
Championship victories in the Italian and ADAC F4 Championships set Bearman up as a hot prospect which secured him a spot on the Ferrari Driver academy in 2021.
Further entries into GB3 and Formula Regional Asia landed Bearman into Fia F3 for 2022 with Prema where he finished a respectable third in the standings.
He then graduated to F2 with Prema for 2023 and stayed there for the next two seasons finishing 6th and 12th respectively with 7 wins to his name.
He racked up 7 points and left many F1 fans and pundits keen to see the young Brit in his full debut season.
Bearman looked fearless in Jeddah pushing to the limit at one of the most physically demanding tracks and also impressed in Baku before a hiccup weekend at Interlagos.
Isaac Hadjar - Racing Bulls
Born in Paris, France on 26th September 2006. Hadjar followed the traditional Karting entry to motorsport. Hadjar only secured a single series win in his junior career in the Formula Regional European series in his rookie season.
However, a 4th in the standings in Fia F3 and a dreadfully unlucky runner-up in the 2024 F2 season.
Hadjar was only half a point behind Gabriele Bortoleto coming into the final round of the season before a heartbreaking stall of his car on the grid took him out of the title fight in the final race of the season.
Hadjar took part in two FP1 sessions in 2024 at Silverstone and Yas Marina with Redbull and was announced as a Racing Bulls driver alongside Yuki Tsunoda just weeks after the final race of 2024.
Being described in the past as a “petit Prost” that tells you what to expect from Hadjar. He’s quick, really quick. He’s also not afraid to get his elbows out and get feisty when wheel to wheel.
Gabriele Bortoleto - Kick Sauber
Reigning F2 champion in F1 is a sentence motorsport fans haven’t been able to say since 2020 when Mick Schumacher took the crown in 2020 and joined Haas.
Born in Sau Paulo, Brazil on 14th October 2004. Bortoleto made the usual root into the sport of Karting but didn’t start until he was aged 11.
His first venture into formula racing was through the Italian F4 series before moving on to Formula Regional Europe and Asia.
He then took back-to-back rookie title wins in Fia F3 and F2 picking up the Antoine Hubert award and Fia Best Rookie award in the latter.
He also became the first driver in F2 to ever win from last place in Monza after starting P24 and landed himself an F1 driver alongside Nico Hulkenberg at Kick Sauber.
A reigning champion is always an exciting prospect in any series but there’s a reason Bortoleto has broken the streak of champions not graduating, his potential and his speed are mighty impressive and could land him a breakout season to remember.
Jack Doohan - Alpine
Jack Doohan partners Pierre Gasly for 2025 however multiple reports say his seat is already under threat from newly hired reserve driver Franco Colapinto.
Born in Queensland, Australia on 20th January 2003 Doohan is the son of Mick Doohan a five-time Grand Prix motorcycle world champion.
Doohan is the only rookie to enter F1 this year who is yet to win a junior formula series with a best finish of second in Asian and Fia F3 as well as a third place in the F2 championship in 2023.
Doohan has been a part of the Alpine team since 2022 as their test and reserve driver and never benefited from a space available with any team for him to get a full-time drive.
He debuted in 2024 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix replacing Ocon in what was to be the Frenchman’s last race with the team.
Doohan is arguably the least hyped rookie for the season with people not expecting him the set the world alight although don’t for a second think Doohan is a driver not of the standard to deliver great results.