Following a year fueled by fierce competition, the F1 world is preparing to launch its 2025 season on March 14 with the Australian Grand Prix. While there are numerous highly anticipated features of the upcoming race season, fresh rookie faces of the grid draw most of this excitement to themselves. After a rookie-free season, six young drivers making over a quarter of the grid, are entering the sport to prove their talent. To understand the teams’ decision-making dynamics for the young rookies and to get to know them better, Motorsports Journalist and Commentator Öykü Ceylan gave an interview to the Istanbul Chronicle.
“It has been confirmed that six new rookie drivers will join the grid in the 2025 season, marking one of the biggest overhauls in modern F1 history. 2019 was the last time a quarter of the grid changed, but the scale of the 2025 reorganization is even greater,” said Ceylan. “Such pivotal changes bring a fresh dynamism to the sport. Since rookies' performances always carry uncertainty, both teams’ and fans’ expectations differ,” she added.
In Formula 1’s 75-year history, 2024 was the first season that did not include a single rookie on the official entry list at the beginning of the season. Nevertheless, several rookies filled some drivers’ seats throughout the season such as Franco Colapinto for Williams, Oliver Bearman for Haas, and Liam Lawson for RB. While replacing drivers to score points for the teams, they demonstrated that they actually qualify and deserve to race on the F1 stage.
Bearman’s success is an outstanding example of what youngsters are capable of. After former Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz’s appendicitis burst in Saudi Arabia, he put on the red suit and finished P7 at the difficult circuit of Jeddah. He also raced for Haas in Azerbaijan when Kevin Magnussen was suspended and further marked history by scoring points in his second F1 race. These kinds of achievements of rookies shifted the cautious moves of F1 teams toward the young bloods. In light of persuading teams to take a chance on rookies, the 2025 season welcomes fresh new faces. From 18 to 22, six rookies are getting ready to make their official F1 debuts in Melbourne.
Ceylan expressed that how each rookie will translate their experience into F1 is going to be exciting to witness. “Some may stand out as aggressive racers, while others could make a difference with their strategic intelligence. Observing what kind of energy they bring to their teams, how they position themselves against experienced drivers, and especially how they perform under pressure are among the aspects I am most looking forward to throughout the season,” she remarked.
F1 teams follow a meticulous selection when it comes to investing in rookies. They even tend to be risk-averse and proceed with the former lineup. According to Ceylan, there are several key reasons behind this cautious approach. One main reason is teams adopting a strategy that preferred the stability brought by experienced drivers. Another motive was keeping certain names within the team due to their sponsorship ties and commercial factors, such as Sergio Perez’s contribution to Red Bull in the valuable Latin American market.
In previous years, rookies took longer to adapt to F1 under the old system. With limited testing opportunities and the absence of support, it was harder for young drivers to reach the highest level of the Formula Series. “In today’s conditions, rookies are much better prepared compared to previous eras. With modern simulators, physical trainers, psychologists, nutritionists, and more, young drivers are able to adapt to F1 much faster. This accelerates their development while allowing teams to assess them earlier,” Ceylan stated.
Putting a rookie in an F1 car might initially seem risky, however, they also come with perks. Fresh talent presents a more attractive option financially as they join teams with lower salaries. The desire to prove themselves in the short haul results in prioritizing team orders and executing given tasks rather than taking uncalled initiative. This provides teams with greater power over their rookie driver and further prevents financial loss caused by incompliance with team strategies.
Additionally, no team wants to miss the opportunity to have a fresh Max Verstappen in their lineup. Although there have been many youngsters who entered and shifted the dynamism of the sport, Red Bull’s 4-time world champion Verstappen is the most recent example of taking a risk on a rookie. After joining Red Bull at a very young age, Verstappen immediately displayed his potential and brought tremendous success to the team. This served as a wake-up call for team principals to conduct research and invest in young talents in the sport.
“Some team principals have started taking more risks after learning from missed opportunities in the past. A prime example of this is Toto Wolff, who, reflecting on the Max Verstappen case, demonstrated how the right timing and willingness to take risks can yield significant long-term rewards,” Ceylan said.
After Lewis Hamilton announced his move to Ferrari, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff chose Kimi Antonelli to fill the seat of the seven-time world champion. He mentioned in an interview that it took him 5 minutes to make up his mind about Antonelli. His decision was found controversial by many since Antonelli was only 18 and would try to carry the weight of an F1 legend's former seat and further a Mercedes seat. Questions were targeted at Wolff’s decision, questioning whether Antonelli was ready for this much pressure. However, Wolff maintained a positive stance on his driver and showed his support in interviews. “We had this 17-year-old in the pipeline [Adrea Kimi Antonelli]. I didn't want to miss out on him, like I did with Max [Verstappen] back in the day, [when] I didn't have a car [for him], so that is all falling into place," Wolff remarked.
Despite his young age, Antonelli has stood out among his peers with his potential and previous achievements. Ceylan stated that though Wolff made a risky decision with Antonelli, there is also a cautious approach behind his optimistic comments. “Wolff repeatedly emphasizes that he does not expect Antonelli to immediately fight for podiums or the championship. This is a highly professional approach because Wolff knows that racing in Formula 1-especially for a major team like Mercedes- at such a young age is both an extraordinary opportunity and an intense pressure,” Ceylan said.
While Verstappen is considered an exception when it comes to the first seasons of a rookie, Oscar Piastri can be shown as a firm example who clinched his place in F1 by showcasing stability and great progress. Newcomers of the 2025 grid are expected to fulfill their immense potential as the ones who came before them. As mentioned previously, 18-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli takes a huge responsibility by stepping into the Mercedes paddock to fill Hamilton’s seat. His youth might help him to adapt to the F1 stage rapidly. “Given that his potential is incredibly high, he could build a phenomenal career with the right progression,” Ceylan said.
By stepping into races as a reserve driver of Ferrari, gaining experience, and scoring critical points, Oliver Bearman caught people’s attention last season. Ceylan stated that she believes Bearman’s adaptation period won’t last long. She is excited to see how he will perform against his teammate, Esteban Ocon at Haas.
Gabriel Bortoleto is a lesser-known name compared to Antonelli and Bearman’s reputation. However, he is one of few drivers who have won Formula 3/GP3 and Formula 2 championships consecutively. Bortoleto secured the title of F2 champion last season.
The young driver owes a lot to F1 veteran Fernando Alonso in his successful motorsport progress management. Alonso’s strategic intelligence and experience have been assisting Bortoleto in taking the right steps in his career. Therefore, Ceylan expressed her confidence in Bortoleto’s future. Nevertheless, there are still question marks concerning how Sauber’s situation and internal team dynamics will unfold. “The current team structure may prevent Bortoleto from fully showcasing his potential. Nonetheless, following his development will be exciting and he could become a valuable asset for Sauber,” Ceylan stated.
A standout driver of Formula 2, Isack Hadjar is among the rookies of the upcoming season, who will compete for RB. Despite losing the championship to Bortoleto towards the season finale, his title fight until the last moment exhibited his potential and perseverance. His strength lies in technical skills and quick adaptation. But Ceylan emphasized that Formula 1 possesses a completely different level of competition dynamics which Hadjar will get familiar with throughout the season.
Jack Doohan for Alpine is different from other rookies with a seat that has an uncertain future with Franco Colapinto as a firm candidate. Doohan grabs attention with his successful record of winning races in every series he has competed in. However, when Alpine signed Colapinto as their reserve driver, Doohan’s future in F1 seemed to have been in jeopardy considering Colapinto demonstrated surprising progress with the limited time he spent in Williams. “The possibility of Doohan being limited to just six races raises questions about his future in F1. If he can maintain his performance and Alpine fully evaluates him, he could seize a great opportunity. However, the internal competition and uncertainties at Alpine could hinder his success,” Ceylan said. She also added that she believes Doohan will most likely be replaced by Colapinto.
And the last rookie of the 2025 season is one of Red Bull’s young drivers Liam Lawson who previously experienced F1 on multiple occasions as a substitute for Daniel Ricciardo’s seat. The Kiwi driver impressed everyone with his consistent performance and easy adaptation which led to his promotion to Red Bull as Verstappen’s new teammate. While some fans greeted his elevation news with excitement, some found it unexpected due to seeing Yuki Tsunoda as an heir to Perez’s seat.
However, it should be considered that many elements played a significant role in Lawson’s promotion to Red Bull instead of Tsunoda. Looking at the recent statistics of both drivers, Tsunoda seems to have reached his fullest potential, whereas Lawson exhibits a strong long-term development potential. Moreover, Red Bull's budget has faced a reduction since Perez departed from the team. This made Lawson a more convenient financial choice. Tsunoda’s unhealthy communication with team strategists and engineers also affected the decision stage adversely for him. All these factors indicated that Lawson aligns better with Red Bull’s long-term growth plans and is a better choice for the seat.
Ceylan addressed an important concern regarding the seat Lawson will fill in, meaning being Verstappen's teammate. “It’s no secret that being Verstappen’s teammate in a team that builds its strategies entirely around him comes with immense pressure. Red Bull’s explicit positioning of Verstappen as the team leader often leads his teammates to be overshadowed. In this scenario, how Lawson balances his role, how competitive he can get against Verstappen, and how he handles the pressure will be critical,” Ceylan remarked.
The class of 2025 F1 drivers includes promising young blood that will bring fresh competition and brand-new dynamism into the sport. Though all of them have impressive backgrounds, they will face similar challenges throughout the season. Their progress will be determined both by how they will develop their individual abilities and how teams will nurture and support them. While the countdown to the 2025 F1 season is underway, rookies elevate fans’ excitement for the upcoming season.
Edited by: Derya Selin Yener, Yağmur Ece Nisanoğlu