Six rookies bring fresh blood to bumper 24-race Formula One season

London — Formula One will have a bumper crop of rookies this season, with six of the 20 drivers on the grid in Melbourne starting their first full season — even if only three of them are race debutants.

We look at their individual prospects:

Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)

The 18-year-old is Italy’s first F1 driver since Antonio Giovinazzi in 2021 and replaces seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton in the team line-up. Those are huge shoes to fill for someone who only passed his driving test in January, but Antonelli made a good start in testing, going fastest in the first session in Bahrain and making no mistakes. Mercedes are protective of him but also confident he is the real deal. “Kimi absolutely has the speed. He’s proven that in all of his categories,” said teammate George Russell.

Oliver Bearman (Haas)

Ferrari Academy driver Bearman, 19, has already started three races, making a stunning debut with seventh place for Ferrari in Saudi Arabia in 2024 when Carlos Sainz had appendicitis. That made the tall Briton, at 18, the youngest F1 rookie to race for Ferrari. He then filled in twice at Haas for Kevin Magnussen, scoring a further point in Azerbaijan. Team boss Ayao Komatsu rates the Briton highly but experienced teammate Frenchman Esteban Ocon, who has joined from Alpine, will be the measure of his speed.

Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)

Bortoleto, 20, is the reigning F2 champion and will be the first Brazilian full-time F1 driver since Felipe Massa retired in 2017. From Sao Paulo, he is a protégé of Spain’s double world champion Fernando Alonso and will now be racing his manager. Bortoleto was previously a McLaren young driver and also won the F3 title as a rookie in 2023. In 2024 he became the first driver to win an F2 feature race from last position. Sauber finished last overall in 2024 and are likely to remain there before becoming the Audi works team in 2026.

Jack Doohan (Alpine)

The 22-year-old is the son of five-time motorcycle world champion Mick and won national titles in karting. He was runner-up in F3 in 2021 and third in F2 in 2023. He spent 2024 as Alpine reserve, making a race debut in Abu Dhabi last December as replacement for Esteban Ocon. How long he stays in the seat remains to be seen, with Argentinian Franco Colapinto waiting for his chance and a clear threat.

Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)

Hadjar, 20, was runner-up to Bortoleto in F2 last season and has already been dubbed “Le Petit Prost” by Red Bull’s Helmut Marko, after four-time world champion compatriot Alain Prost. He replaces Liam Lawson, who has moved to Red Bull as teammate to Yuki Tsunoda. Hadjar is of Algerian descent and has dual nationality. His father Yassine has a PhD in quantum physics. Hadjar is quick and will impress if he can beat Tsunoda.

Liam Lawson (Red Bull)

Lawson, 23, is the oldest and most experienced of the rookies and has already started 11 races and scored six points. The New Zealander debuted at the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix when Daniel Ricciardo injured his hand, racing five times that year. He replaced the dropped Ricciardo from Austin onwards in 2024 and was promoted to Red Bull when Sergio Perez lost his seat. He sees this year as a learning one and his job is to help Max Verstappen win a fifth title and the team regain the constructors’ crown by scoring regular points.

Sunday’s season-opener in Melbourne will be the first of a 24-race schedule in what could be one of the closest ever as the last before major rule changes and the start of a new engine era in 2026.

Reuters