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F1 rookies in 2025 including Kimi Antonelli and Gabriel Bortoleto

Motoring in the background of the 2024 Formula 1 season was a catalogue of driver changes which resulted in five new faces securing a full-time spot for the 2025 campaign.

Kimi Antonelli was named as Lewis Hamilton’s replacement at Mercedes, Oliver Bearman’s substitute appearance for Ferrari saw him secure a drive with Haas while Alpine opted to select Jack Doohan to partner Pierre Gasly.

Gabriel Bortoleto and Isack Hadjar were locked in a thrilling battle for the F2 title and both have secured seats for 2025, with Bortoleto agreeing a multi-year deal with Sauber and Hadjar filling the RB seat vacated by Liam Lawson.

Kimi Antonelli - Mercedes

Tasked with filling the void of a seven-time world champion and the most decorated driver on the grid, there is undoubtedly immense pressure on the shoulders of Kimi Antonelli.

Team Principal Toto Wolff has attempted to downplay expectations but there is already plenty of hype encompassing the Italian, who joined the Mercedes Junior Team in 2019 as a protégé.

Antonelli established his name as a rising prospect by romping to the Italian and German F4 titles and Formula Regional titles in the Middle East and Europe.

A leap to F2 beckoned with Prema Racing and the teenager impressed his peers on debut, winning two races as he finished the campaign in sixth.

He will look to lean off the experience of a seasoned George Russell as his mentor and given time – which he will most definitely be afforded – Antonelli may be able to showcase his raw speed and push for podiums.

Oliver Bearman – Haas

With three Grand Prix starts in 2024, there’s a valid argument to suggest Oliver Bearman is no longer a rookie.

Finishing sixth in his first F2 season with Prema Racing in 2023, Bearman still managed to chalk up three sprint victories in 2024 despite his F1 commitments.

Deputising in the absence of a stricken Carlos Sainz at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Bearman repaid the faith of Fred Vasseur and Ferrari chiefs with an admirable debut showing in Jeddah.

Another outing beckoned in Baku, though on this occasion it was on behalf of his future employers, Haas. Filling in for the suspended Kevin Magnussen, the Brit finished ahead of his temporary team-mate Nico Hulkenberg at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, in which Bearman pulled off an impressive overtake on the German to claim the final point.

His third and final opportunity arose in the Brazilian GP after Magnussen withdrew with illness and Bearman survived interchangeable conditions to bring the car home in 12th.

The Chelmsford-born talent has already proven himself to be a solid operator on his three appearances so far and Haas will be hoping he can maintain that level of consistency as they aim to prolong their upturn in performance from the end of the 2024 campaign.

Gabriel Bortoleto – Sauber

Gabriel Bortoleto followed in the footsteps of Oscar Piastri, George Russell and Charles Leclerc in winning the F3 and F2 titles in back-to-back seasons, which reiterated the Brazilian’s huge potential.

Enduring a miserable start to life in F2 with three consecutive retirements, Bortoleto strung together a sequence of impressive results – including a phenomenal last-to-first triumph at Monza – to seize top spot in the standings and reign supreme over title rival, Isack Hadjar.

Managed by two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, Bortoleto was a member of the McLaren Driver Development programme from 2023 until a seat arose with the Audi-owned Sauber team for 2025 and beyond.

The 20-year-old fronts a new-look driver line-up alongside veteran Hulkenberg, whose experience may be an invaluable asset to Bortoleto as he encounters the trials and tribulations of a rookie season in Formula 1.

Points-scoring opportunities are likely to be at a premium but the prospects of Sauber’s transition into Audi ahead of the new regulations in 2026 will be of encouragement to Bortoleto.

Fascinatingly, he’s the first full-time Brazilian presence on the grid since Felipe Massa retired in 2017.

Jack Doohan – Alpine

Alpine maximised their driver academy with the selection of Jack Doohan as Pierre Gasly’s new team-mate.

Doubts were raised as to whether Doohan would ever reach the upper echelons after he endured a harrowing debut campaign in F3, but he bounced back in the subsequent season to finish second, missing out on the title to Dennis Hauger.

The Australian finished third in his last F2 season in 2023 before departing the championship to fulfil his role as Alpine reserve driver, a position he obtained at the start of that campaign.

Son of five-time 500cc motorcycle world champion Mick, Doohan made an early F1 debut at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where he qualified 12th on debut before finishing 15th in the race.

He later participated in the post-season test at Yas Marina Circuit and Doohan will be looking to hit the ground running with the Enstone-based constructor, not least with Franco Colapinto lurking in the background as their new reserve driver.

Isack Hadjar – Racing Bulls

The final addition to the 2025 grid, Isack Hadjar will partner Yuki Tsunoda at Racing Bulls after his predecessor Liam Lawson was promoted to Red Bull.

A member of the Red Bull junior driver programme since 2022, the French-Algerian protégé has demonstrated exceptional growth on his ascent through various single-seater championships.

Clocking wins in Melbourne, Imola, Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps, Hadjar came to within a whisker of the F2 championship in 2024. Trailing Bortoleto by four points entering the final feature race in Abu Dhabi, Hadjar’s car stalled at the start and his title hopes consequentially vanished.

His raw speed and racecraft caught the eye of Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, who suggested he “needs a bit of polishing” when commending his progression.

Five graduates of the Red Bull Junior Team have gone on to win an F1 Grand Prix and Hadjar will be looking to add his name to that exclusive list eventually, although points finishes will be the primary objective as he aims to make his mark.

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