2024 was the first season in Formula 1's 75-year history that didn’t feature a single rookie. In what almost looks like an attempt to make up for that absence, a new crop of talented young drivers are set to refresh the sport and show the old guard what they can do. Six rookies, aged 18 to 22, will line up on the grid in Melbourne come March, all with varying degrees of pressure on their shoulders. As the conveyer belt of motorsport talent continues moving, get to know the six young drivers looking to earn a seat beyond their rookie season.
Liam Lawson
Age: 22
Team: Red Bull
Barely a dozen races into his F1 career, Liam Lawson snagged one of the most coveted, yet unenviable, seats on the grid. The Kiwi driver, who replaced Daniel Ricciardo at RB starting at COTA last year, will have his work cut out for him when he steps up to Red Bull alongside four-time defending world champion, Max Verstappen, in 2025. Lawson has been patiently waiting in the wings for years with the Red Bull family, and has proven himself a worthy candidate through a wide-ranging junior career spanning DTM, Super Formula, and F2.
However, he’s struggled to build goodwill with fans since entering the paddock (through no fault of his own) after replacing fan-favorite Ricciardo, then seemingly leapfrogging RB's Yuki Tsunoda for that open seat at Red Bull. It’s a shame, because Lawson has not only put in the work throughout his time as a reserve driver, but is among the nicest guys on the grid (we recently went on a road trip with him — you can watch the full video here). His quick promotion is an indication not only of his talent, but also how well he operates within the Red Bull framework, which is one of the biggest keys to success at the Milton Keynes-based outfit. Take it from Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly.
All this to say, Lawson has the most to lose of the 2025 rookies. He’s partnering Verstappen in one of the sport’s most notoriously tough seats, as the team attempts to claw its way back to the front of the grid. Red Bull believes that Lawson could be their future in an impending post-Verstappen era, so it’s unlikely he’ll get the boot should he have a few bad races. But, the pressure is certainly on.
Jack Doohan
Age: 21
Team: Alpine
Jack Doohan’s arrival in F1 feels somewhat inevitable. After all, he was gifted his first go kart by seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher. But the son of MotoGP legend Mick Doohan is among the least-known of the new rookie cohort, largely by virtue of the fact he’s been waiting in the wings at Alpine while his counterparts have been racking up track time.
He made an appearance on the grid at the eleventh hour during the final race of the season, when he unexpectedly replaced Esteban Ocon. The 21-year-old, who is set to partner Gasly at the French outfit, may have finished outside the points, but he now heads into 2025 with one 'big league' race under his belt. The bizarre decision to axe Haas-bound Ocon ahead of Abu Dhabi means Doohan won’t have to make his debut in the Albert Park pressure cooker when F1 arrives in Melbourne come March. Ricciardo often lamented the intense media scrutiny surrounding the Australian Grand Prix, so Alpine may be hoping some of that pressure will be alleviated given Doohan's already spent a full weekend in the car.
Doohan also has hundreds of hours of simulator time under his belt — putting in the work at the factory following his F2 campaigns in 2022 and 2023. Although he has all the right people in his corner and several wins in his junior career, it remains to be seen just how competitive he’ll be, and whether the team will give him a car that allows him to show what he can do.
Speaking of Alpine, 2024 was a year of high-highs and low-lows for the Oliver Oakes-helmed operation. Much of the team has been overhauled in the last 12 months following a rollercoaster few seasons, but the internal turmoil seems to have settled under Oakes’ leadership, at least for now.
Oliver Bearman
Age: 19
Team: Haas
Thanks to social media, drivers don’t have to wait until they’re winning world championships in F1 to develop a fan base. Such is the case for Oliver Bearman and his army of 2.4 million Instagram followers. The British teenager is to F1 what someone like Timothée Chalamet is to the film industry. That is to say, he’s a charismatic up-and-comer who represents a new generation of drivers, highly aware of their social presence and the audience they’re connecting with. Like many elder Gen Z athletes and celebrities, Bearman doesn’t appear too concerned with crafting a manicured persona, which has allowed him to resonate with swaths of fans before even setting foot in the F1 paddock.
Of course, he also owes a lot to Carlos Sainz’ burst appendix. When the Spaniard was struck down with appendicitis in Saudi Arabia, Bearman made his F1 debut with Ferrari, finishing P7 at the notoriously difficult Jeddah Corniche circuit. He made history later in the season when he scored points during his second ever race — this time for Haas — after Kevin Magnussen was suspended in Azerbaijan.
Although he has won several races throughout his junior career in F2 and F3, Bearman isn't arriving in F1 with a resume stacked with series championships like some of his counterparts. His stellar performances during his first few F1 outings, however, serve as a reminder that results in junior categories are far from the be-all and end-all when determining driver potential. The 19-year-old will certainly be one to watch when he partners Ocon in 2025 and works to push Haas further up the mid-field.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli
Age: 18
Team: Mercedes
Stepping into the former seat of a seven-time world champion is no easy feat. But, if anyone can do it, it’s Andrea Kimi Antonelli — at least, according to Toto Wolff. The Mercedes team principal is convinced the Italian teenager is the next Verstappen, and the team took a massive leap of faith by signing him shortly after Lewis Hamilton confirmed his departure for Ferrari.
Antonelli’s story already has the makings of a fairytale: in 2018, the then 12-year-old was paired with Hamilton as a grid kid at the Italian Grand Prix. “Remember you’re the best, you can win this,” the youngster told his hero, who went on to claim victory. Just six years later, Antonelli is replacing his idol at one of the winningest teams in the modern era.
Today, the 18-year-old, who brought home back-to-back championships in F4 and FRECA before finishing 6th in his maiden F2 campaign, has been described as a generational talent and touted to be the first Italian to win an F1 race since Giancarlo Fisichella in 2006. There’s no doubt he has the hopes of an F1-obsessed nation on his shoulders, and more than one million Instagram followers to prove it. Though he’s yet to make his debut, Antonelli’s FP1 outing in Monza was a reminder of his incredible raw pace, and the rookie mistakes he’s likely to make after putting George Russell’s car in the wall. One thing’s for certain: Antonelli has big shoes to fill and the pressure is on.
Gabriel Bortoleto
Age: 20
Team: Sauber
Gabriel Bortoleto is entering F1 with an unblemished record and the hopes of an entire nation hanging over him. The Brazilian was relatively unknown until he started winning F3 races, and eventually the title, in 2023. The following year, he joined an illustrious club featuring Charles Leclerc, Russell and Oscar Piastri, all of whom achieved back-to-back F2 and F3 championships.
Bortoleto, who inked a deal with Sauber shortly before being crowned champion, impressed throughout his entire 2024 campaign, with his most notable performance at a feature race in Monza, where he climbed from last to first. When he was approached by the Swiss outfit, he had no qualms signing for the team — set to become Audi in 2026 — despite his roots as part of McLaren's Driver Development program, given the papaya team's long-term commitment to Piastri and Lando Norris.
Sauber will be a perfect low-pressure environment for the 20-year-old to learn the ropes from a veteran of the sport like his teammate, Nico Hulkenberg. The team is expected to remain towards the back of the grid in 2025 as it focuses its resources on 2026. Only time will tell how well Bortoleto adapts to F1 after a stunning junior career.
Isack Hadjar
Age: 20
Team: RB
Isack Hadjar is the newest rookie to join the F1 grid. The former Red Bull junior was promoted to RB in late December after Lawson vacated the seat to partner Verstappen at the A-team. The French-Algerian driver has proven himself throughout the years, and his name has long been thrown around when discussing the team’s most promising up-and-comers. However, he doesn’t have a world-beating record nor great expectations on his shoulders, which makes RB a good place for him to land and learn the ropes from an experienced hand like Tsunoda.
Hadjar doesn’t have any championship titles, though that stat does a disservice to his obvious talent in the cockpit. In F2 he won more races than any other driver and his reaction time received widespread praise when he narrowly escaped a crash in the Monaco tunnel in 2024.
