Rookies on a rollercoaster
One of the most intriguing aspects of the 2025 season is the arrival of a new generation of youngsters making their way as fulltime Formula 1 drivers. Antonelli, Bearman, Bortoleto, Doohan, Hadjar and Lawson have all had the opportunity to show what they can do now they're in the sport's top category. Some have got here following the traditional route through all the junior categories, others have been fast-tracked, while others still are already having to face the harsh reality of a sport with little margin for error. Four races are not enough to evaluate drivers who have been in the sport for a while, let alone when looking at rookies, but we can still make an early assessment.
Topping and tailing a theoretical performance ranking are the two drivers who generated the most column inches going into the season, namely Antonelli and Lawson, chiefly because they joined two teams at the front end of the grid, Mercedes for the Italian and Red Bull Racing for the New Zealander. In the case of Antonelli he had big shoes to fill, replacing Lewis Hamilton, while Lawson faced the daunting task of sharing the garage with the Max Verstappen machine.
Antonelli's season got off to a great start, picking up 30 points and setting a variety of “youngest ever” records. He was helped in this by the fact Mercedes' performance has improved and the atmosphere has changed in the camp, possibly lighter now it does not have to deal with the baggage that comes with having a hugely successful seven-time world champion on the books. It's an environment in which Antonelli can grow quickly and prepare for a future where he will be expected to deliver. At the other end of the scale, despite Lawson's rookie status being questionable as, over the previous two years, he had already taken part in eleven Grands Prix, he really struggled following his promotion from Racing Bulls to Red Bull Racing and after just two races, he found himself back with his previous employer. Now he faces a mountain to climb, to rebuild his self-confidence and to win back the trust of the sport's king makers, who can promote the brightest stars, but show no mercy if they start to fade: compare and contrast Vettel and Verstappen for example.
Of the remaining four rookies, so far Oliver Bearman has been the best, having made his race debut here in Jeddah a year ago, a last minute replacement for and unwell Carlos Sainz in the Ferrari, when he finished an impressive seventh. The Ferrari Driver Academy's young Englishman has scored points in three of the four races to date, but more than that he has proved to be a canny racer. He has never lost a place at the start and has made up a total of 25 places compared to his grid position (six in Australia, nine in China, none in Japan and ten in Bahrain.) Haas currently seems to be the next team in line after the fabulous four – in championship order, McLaren, Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari –its best ever start to a season since it came into the sport in 2016.
After the terrible blow of crashing out on the formation lap in Melbourne in the wet, Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) has bounced back, proving that he certainly deserves his seat. He has been quick in qualifying, never lower than the sixth row and finished in the points in Suzuka, which is more than respectable. Less obvious has been Gabriel Bortoleto's start to the season, mainly because his Sauber car is not so competitive, while the team is still going through a transitional phase, in that the current caterpillar has yet to emerge as the Audi butterfly. However, a veteran with the Swiss team, Beat Zehnder, knows a thing or two about young talent, and a few days ago he said that Bortoleto's approach reminds him of another youngster who cut his teeth with the Hinwil squad, namely Charles Leclerc, which is certainly a major compliment.
Last on the list, even though he is one place above Bortoleto in the Drivers' standings is Jack Doohan. It's hard to assess his performance. The Australian youngster grew up in a racing environment, his father Mick a five-time motorcycle world champion, while the first kart he ever drove was a gift from a friend of his father who goes by the name of Michael Schumacher. Doohan's season begun with the sword of Damocles hanging over him, in the shape of another rookie who made a strong impression last year, namely Franco Colapinto. He is currently reserve driver at Alpine, waiting in the wings should Flavio Briatore decide to capitalise on this being a transitional year for the team. The Italian, in charge of Alpine's management strategy under Renault leadership, has never been known for his patience when it comes to youngsters, but he also has a great instinct for spotting new talent. When he was running the Benetton team, in September 1991, following some wise words from Tom Walkinshaw and Ross Brawn, he found a berth for a youngster who had just made his debut at Spa with the Jordan team. Yes, of course, it was Michael Schumacher.
