Formula One is still a year from the new regulations, yet the 2025 season will see a sizeable change from 2024. Last year's opening round featured the same 20-driver lineup as the one that ended the 2023 season. There were no team switches and no new names entering the sport. Not so for 2025, as six full-season rookies will enjoy the opening round in Australia.
It's a marked shift in dynamic with so many fresh faces. Some of the sport's 'old guard' remain, with Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, and Nico Hülkenberg still in seats. But these long-time names are outnumbered two-to-one by the young guns who have never raced a season-opening Grand Prix.
That's a seismic shift in dynamic, but perhaps overdue and not unexpected after how 2024 panned out. Ollie Bearman, Liam Lawson, and Franco Colapinto impressed many as they stepped up midway through the 2024 campaign. Each had to take the opportunity to show their ability, and all three shone, seemingly advancing the cause of letting new names push out the deadwood.
Yet there are even more names to familiarize yourself with for 2025. Jack Doohan is stepping up after a single-race cameo in Abu Dhabi last year. F2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto also earned a graduation, as did his championship rival Isack Hadjar. And, somehow, the youngest newcomer has the largest boots to fill. Andrea Kimi Antonelli, the 18-year-old Italian, replaces seven-time champion Hamilton at Mercedes. Who are these new names, and what should they hope for?
Liam Lawson - Red Bull Racing
While even devout F1 fans might not know some of the new 2025 drivers, casual fans will know Lawson's name. The Kiwi driver will feature in F1 for a third year but only boasts 11 race starts. He deputized for an injured Ricciardo in 2023 before outright replacing the honey badger in 2024. For 2025, however, Lawson arguably has the biggest make-or-break opportunity of his career.
The 23-year-old racer will partner Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing, leapfrogging his 2024 RB teammate Yuki Tsunoda for the job. We've now seen Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, and now Sergio Perez fall foul of being Verstappen's teammate. Lawson could be the next casualty if he doesn't stay close to the reigning champion's pace. Should he have the speed to keep up and do what others couldn't, though? Well, Lawson could be starting a multi-decade career from that reputational boost.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli - Mercedes
The speed of Andrea Kimi Antonelli's ascent to F1 could give you a nosebleed. Antonelli was still in go-karts while his Mercedes predecessor battled the incredible 2021 season. Back-to-back championships in Formula 4 and Formula Regional earned him a promotion to F2 for 2024, skipping past F3 entirely. Then the news that Hamilton would be heading to Ferrari came, and the stars perfectly aligned for Italy's first F1 driver since Antonio Giovinazzi.
Antonelli is no stranger to pressure. There was plenty of it for his F2 campaign after he won the title in every single-seater series he'd contested. Yet he ended the year P6 in the standings but still received Toto Wolff's blessing to reach F1. There are extenuating circumstances to explain any perceived failings, though – most notably his PREMA team's inability to master the new F2 car. Antonelli still took two victories, and although he crashed the car in his first FP1 F1 session, Mercedes believe he has the quality to replace Hamilton. Having backed Antonelli since he was 12, they know all about the potential of F1 2025's youngest driver.
Jack Doohan - Alpine
Australian hopeful Jack Doohan might be the driver with the lowest expectations entering the 2025 season. He hasn't won a single-seater title and did not step up to F1 as a hero replacing an injured or under-performing driver. Yet Doohan could surprise many. He is no slouch and might've taken the 2023 F2 title with his late-season flurry of wins if not for a sluggish start to the year.
A long-time junior at Alpine, the French team will simply be happy that this Australian didn't decide to drive elsewhere after the announcement. Whether that goodwill can extend to the full 24-race calendar is another story. Controversial F1 figure Flavio Briatore is back in the sport as an executive advisor at Alpine. Briatore seems to have taken a shine to Williams' Argentinian prodigy Colapinto, who Alpine recruited as a reserve driver for the year. If Doohan doesn't start the season strong, Colapinto could be back as an F1 driver before you know it.
Ollie Bearman - Haas
Not many drivers begin their first full season already having driven for Ferrari in F1. That's something Ollie Bearman can boast, however. The Briton even beat Hamilton to race in red. Bearman replaced Carlos Sainz in Saudi Arabia last year when the Spaniard had appendicitis and stormed to a point-scoring finish. Two further appearances in the season for Haas helped keep his F1 experience fresh, and he will now race for the American team in 2025.
Like Antonelli, Bearman had suffered from F2's new car changes wrong-footing the PREMA team in 2024. He subsequently did not mount a championship charge as many expected. Ultimately, Bearman didn't have to grab a title to reach a full-time F1 seat once his stocks skyrocketed after his unexpected debut. The teenager excelled in F4 and was close to the title in F3. Could he join compatriots Lando Norris, George Russell, and Lewis Hamilton to become a long-term name in F1? If he can continue his 2024 performance levels, don't bet against it.
Isack Hadjar - Racing Bulls
Ricciardo and Perez's dumping from the Red Bull family opened the door to more than just Lawson to have an F1 opportunity. F2 2024's vice-champion driver Isack Hadjar received the F1 nod despite being pipped to the title last year. The French-Algerian 20-year-old has had Red Bull backing since 2022 after winning Formula Regional's Monaco round. Helmut Marko became a Hadjar fan that weekend, signing the then-teenager almost immediately, and the Austrian has given the nod for an F1 promotion even without a championship title.
What Hadjar can do this season at Racing Bulls may shape the future of Red Bull, too. Speculation continues to swirl around Verstappen's future, especially with rumors of Aston Martin trying to follow up on their Adrian Newey signing with a high-budget bid for the champion. If Verstappen departs or Lawson doesn't meet expectations, Christan Horner will look to Hadjar as the one to step up. Tsunoda, after all, seems to be on borrowed time. If Hadjar can't deliver, though, there is no shortage of Red Bull Juniors looking to follow in his footsteps.
Gabriel Bortoleto - Sauber
Charles Leclerc, George Russell, Oscar Piastri, and now Gabriel Bortoleto each have the honor of becoming F2 and F3 champions in their rookie seasons. That's some quality race-winning company for Brazil's latest driver and quite a turnaround from what many who follow junior racing would've expected two years ago. Bortoleto had some unremarkable results in the lower categories before controlling the 2023 Formula 3 and 2024 Formula 2 seasons.
The 20-year-old Sao Paulo starlet's reward is a drive at F1's slowest team who will struggle to score points this year. Nonetheless, Russell and Leclerc also began their F1 time at backmarker operations before reaching the front. With Audi taking over Sauber for 2026, perhaps Bortoleto could stay in place and score points soon. He has a resumé of greatness, and Brazil is screaming out for another hero. Be sure to see how Bortoleto fares against F1 veteran Hülkenberg in the sister car rather than his finishing positions to gauge his rookie year.
