Who are the 2025 F1 rookies? Antonelli, Bearman and more

The start of the 2024 Formula 1 season saw the grid entirely unchanged from the end of one season to the start of the next.

But after a rookie drought, the most recent silly season produced five drivers who take their debut full-time F1 seats in 2025.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli replaces the Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, Oliver Bearman has signed for Haas, Jack Doohan has slotted into the Alpine line-up, Gabriel Bortoleto forms part of the all-new Sauber pairing alongside stalwart Nico Hulkenberg, and Isack Hadjar takes the RB seat vacated by Liam Lawson who steps up to Red Bull to join Max Verstappen.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes

Andrea Kimi Antonelli made headlines during the Italian GP weekend when it was announced he would be joining George Russell at Mercedes, replacing the outgoing Hamilton.

The 18-year-old Italian joined the Mercedes Junior Team in 2019 as a protégé. A very successful karting career led to a switch to cars in 2021, with the Italian then grabbing headlines by winning the Italian F4 and German F4 titles in 2022, and the FRECA Middle East and European Championships in 2023.[TJ5] 

He made the jump to Formula 2 in 2024 with Prema alongside Bearman, and ended the year sixth in the final standings with two race wins in Silverstone and Hungary.

He made his F1 FP1 session debut at Monza in 2024, and, despite crashing after 10 minutes, showed some impressive pace. Questions arose about his readiness for F1, but he was announced that same weekend as Mercedes’ F1 driver for 2025.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff recently spoke about the expectations on the young Antonelli, stating: “If you expect him to be on pole position in Melbourne, win the race and immediately compete for the championship, then the risk is high because that won’t happen.

“If we take into account that he is only 18 years old, very talented, but needs to grow and make mistakes first, the risk is less.”

There is undoubtedly pressure on Antonelli, but it’s clear Wolff isn’t hoping to give him a baptism by fire. Antonelli and Mercedes might choose to use 2025 to acclimatise, a year before the 2026 regulation changes, and then, once the changes roll around, perhaps we will see Antonelli challenging at the front of the grid more frequently.

As an experienced and multiple-race-winning driver, teammate Russell will pose as a good mentor for Antonelli, making his Formula 1 debut in 2019.

Oliver Bearman – Haas

Oliver Bearman, Haas VF-24

Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images

Bearman made his F1 debut at the 2024 Saudi Arabian GP, where he filled in for the appendicitis-stricken Carlos Sainz at Ferrari. He finished an impressive seventh, taking points on debut.

He then filled in for Haas’ Kevin Magnussen at the Azerbaijan GP after the Dane had received a race ban for accruing 12 penalty points. Once again Bearman impressed, finishing 10th and ahead of team-mate Nico Hulkenberg, pulling off an overtake on him at the end of the race.

This finish meant he scored points for both teams he raced for that year, and made him the only F1 driver in history to score points for two different teams in his first two F1 starts.

The 19-year-old took Magnussen’s place again at the Brazilian GP after the Haas driver had to withdraw due to illness. He finished 12th in what was a chaotic, rain-filled race.

Having made three grand prix starts he isn’t technically a full rookie anymore, but he will take his first full-time F1 drive in 2025.

Bearman won Italian F4 in 2021 with Van Amersfoort Racing, and then moved up to F3 with Prema in 2022, where he finished third. He joined the F2 grid in 2023 and finished sixth and remained in the series for 2024. He finished 12th, missing two weekends where he raced in F1 in Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan, [TJ7] and took three sprint race wins in Austria, Monza, and Qatar.

It was announced ahead of the British GP that Bearman would be joining Haas, and it was confirmed later that month that Esteban Ocon would be lining up alongside the young Brit.

Bearman has already put in some solid performances in F1, showing he is not afraid to battle with some of the more seasoned drivers on the grid. With the Haas team seeing an upturn in performance during the 2024 season, Bearman will likely be an asset to the team, working alongside Ocon to develop the car further and produce some good results.

Jack Doohan – Alpine

Jack Doohan, Alpine A524

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

After serving as Alpine’s reserve driver since 2023, it was announced that Australian driver Jack Doohan would take his place alongside Pierre Gasly at Alpine for 2025.

In his junior career, he was Australian karting champion and finished fifth in British F4 in 2018. He finished second in the F3 Asian Championship in both 2019 and 2020, and in 2021 finished second in F3.

In 2023 he placed third in F2, before departing the championship to fulfil his reserve driver capacity full-time.

Doohan has taken part in multiple tests and FP sessions for the Alpine team and made his F1 debut at the 2024 Abu Dhabi GP, replacing Ocon who was released early to make the move to Haas.

He had a relatively quiet race, finishing 15th, but said in his post-race interview: “I’m just super happy with the whole experience, I was learning honestly every lap, and just so much valuable experience that I’ll be able to take ahead of next season.”

Doohan has been a well-known and well-liked figure around the paddock for a while, and his dedication to the Alpine team has now been rewarded with a full-time drive. Some have questioned Doohan’s readiness to join F1, given he hasn’t won any junior formula titles.

However, with the first race under his belt, he’ll have been able to shake those first-race jitters.

Isack Hadjar – RB

Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing RB20

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

It was announced in December 2024 that French-Algerian driver Isack Hadjar would be taking Lawson’s place at RB, partnering with Yuki Tsunoda, as the Kiwi driver was promoted to Red Bull alongside Verstappen.

His junior career highlights include finishing third in French F4 in 2020, and in 2022 he finished fourth in F3 with three race wins.

His first F2 season in 2023 saw him take only one podium, but he had a vast improvement the following year, challenging for the title.

Going into the final 2024 F2 race weekend at Abu Dhabi, Hadjar trailed fellow F1 rookie Bortoleto by just half a point. Bortoleto finished second to Hadjar’s fifth in the sprint race, opening that gap to four points, meaning the battle was still tight. But it was heartbreak for Hadjar, as his car stalled at the start of the feature race, thereby scuppering his title hopes.

Hadjar has been a part of the Red Bull junior driver program since 2022, has taken part in various FP sessions, and drove the Red Bull alongside Tsunoda in the post-season test in Abu Dhabi. He also served as a Red Bull and RB reserve driver in 2024 once Lawson joined the grid.

RB team principal Laurent Mekies commented on Hadjar’s junior career, saying: “His journey to Formula 1 has been nothing short of outstanding, he has shown remarkable growth, with a series of impressive results in the junior single-seater ranks.

“He has the talent and drive necessary to compete at the highest level, and we have every confidence that he will adapt quickly and make a significant impact.”

Gabriel Bortoleto – Sauber

Gabriel Bortoleto, Stake F1 Team KICK Sauber C44

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

20-year-old Brazilian driver Gabriel Bortoleto will line up alongside Hulkenberg at Sauber as part of their new line-up in 2025, having received the promotion to F1 following a highly impressive junior career, taking the F3 and F2 titles consecutively in 2023 and 2024 in his rookie seasons.

After an unfortunate start to F2 in 2024, with three consecutive retirements in the Saudi Arabia sprint and feature races, then the following Australian sprint race, his results then improved, taking his first race win in the Austrian feature race. An impressive last-to-first drive in Monza brought even more eyes to Bortoleto, and consistent results saw him lead the championship by half a point going into the final race weekend. Misfortune for Hadjar in the feature race and a second-place finish for Bortoleto meant he took the title.

Bortoleto joined the McLaren Driver Development programme in 2023, but was released at the end of 2024 when he signed for Sauber.

He is the first driver to take back-to-back F3 and F2 championships in a rookie season since Oscar Piastri, with the likes of Charles Leclerc and Russell also achieving the same feat.

His talent has been noticed by many, not least two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, who has acted as Bortoleto’s manager since 2022.

Sauber underperformed in 2024, and placed last in the constructors’ championship with only one points finish during the season, but is building for 2026 when the team will compete as Audi, and Bortoleto and Hulkenberg will help to pioneer the Audi project through the 2026 regulation changes.

Mattia Binotto, who joined Sauber as COO and CTO in 2024, said: “Gabriel has already demonstrated in the junior categories that he has what it takes to be a winning driver.

“Together with Gabriel, we are on a journey towards success, and we will evolve into a unified force to shape a new era for Audi in motorsport.

Nico and Gabriel represent the ideal combination of experience and youth, positioning us strongly for the future.”