Ranking every Formula 1 rookie season since 2021, including Oscar Piastri vs Kimi Antonelli

The 2025 Formula 1 season will be remembered for producing one of the strongest crops of rookies seen in a very long time.

Kimi Antonelli and Isack Hadjar both recorded podium finishes during their first years on the grid, with the Italian breaking Lewis Hamilton’s record for most points scored by a driver during their maiden season.

Fans weren’t completely convinced by Antonelli breaking Hamilton’s record, but both Oliver Bearman and Gabriel Bortoleto earned plenty of plaudits alongside their fellow rookies.

Over the past five seasons, 14 different drivers have reached Formula 1, although many have had far from the simplest starts to life on the grid.

Here, we’ve attempted to rank each driver who made more than a handful of appearances since 2021, with the 2025 cohort proving just how good they can be against their previous rookies.

14. Nikita Mazepin (2021) – 0 points, drivers’ championship – 21st

The first three corners of Nikita Mazepin’s Formula 1 career summed up how his one and only campaign on the grid was going to go.

Mazepin spun off under his own steam on his debut in Bahrain, and after a torrid campaign with Haas, he finished bottom of the championship without scoring a point.

13. Jack Doohan (2025*) – 0 points, drivers’ championship – 21st

Jack Doohan’s F1 debut came at the final race of 2024 with Alpine, but he was immediately under pressure to save his seat.

Alpine replaced Doohan after the Miami Grand Prix as he failed to finish in the top 10, and a crash at Suzuka in free practice will be the lingering memory for many fans who will also believe that the Australian deserved more of a chance to prove himself.

Alpine driver Jack Doohan crashing at the 2025 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix — Photo by Bryn Lennon – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images

12. Nyck de Vries (2023*) – 0 points, drivers’ championship – 22nd

Another driver who was handed a one-off chance to race in F1 that led to a full-time race seat, Nyck de Vries, like Doohan, also didn’t complete a season on the grid.

De Vries impressed with Williams at the 2022 Italian Grand Prix, scoring two points, but his spell with AlphaTauri ended without further adding to his tally as Daniel Ricciardo stepped into his seat.

11. Mick Schumacher (2021) – 0 points, drivers’ championship – 19th

Mick Schumacher features several places higher than Mazepin, despite also failing to score a point.

However, any rookie who wins a head-to-head battle with his teammate deserves credit, even if that teammate doesn’t have the best season.

Schumacher lasted one more year than Mazepin before being replaced at Haas, although at least he did experience what it was like to score points before dropping off the grid.

We’ve ranked the top 10 rookie season since 2021!

What did we get right, what did we get wrong? Let us know!

Ranking the top 10 rookie seasons from the 2021 Formula 1 season onwards

10. Logan Sargeant (2023) – 1 point, drivers’ championship – 21st

Whether or not Logan Sargeant was a better driver than any of those ranked below him is another story, but his P10 finish at his home race in Austin at least means he can say he’s an F1 points scorer.

He required two disqualifications ahead of him to earn that reward and was never able to really compete with teammate Alex Albon during their time together at Williams before he was dropped in the middle of 2024.

9. Liam Lawson (2023*) – 2 points, drivers’ championship – 20th

Liam Lawson made this list incredibly difficult to put together, as when he actually took part in his rookie campaign is up for debate.

An impressive cameo in 2023, where he scored two points and outqualified Max Verstappen in Singapore, led to a second chance in 2024 and finally a full-time drive the following year.

While there have been ups and downs in Lawson’s career, his initial five-race spell was more than good enough to earn another shot at a Racing Bulls seat.

Liam Lawson celebrating his best career finish at the 2025 Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix — Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images

8. Franco Colapinto (2024*) – 5 points, drivers’ championship – 19th

Anyone who didn’t follow Formula 2 would have been surprised when Williams announced Sargeant had been dropped for Franco Colapinto, but the Argentinian made an immediate impact.

Colapinto scored points in Azerbaijan and Austin, and while the end of his rookie campaign was rather crash-heavy, his performances and horde of South American fans earned him a move to Alpine and another F1 race seat.

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7. Zhou Guanyu (2022) – 6 points, drivers’ championship – 18th

Many will remember Zhou Guanyu for two difficult campaigns alongside Valtteri Bottas at Alfa Romeo in 2023 and 2024.

However, the Chinese driver scored a point on his debut in Bahrain, and Lewis Hamilton praised Zhou for his qualifying in Hungary before the car’s struggles prevented him from ever showing his true potential.

6. Gabriel Bortoleto (2025) – 19 points, drivers’ championship – 19th

The first of this season’s true rookies to feature on this list, Bortoleto will be delighted with how well he coped against Nico Hulkenberg at Sauber this year.

A 12-12 qualifying record against the German highlights his one-lap pace, and while several big crashes at the end of the season were far from ideal, he made fantastic progress as Sauber continued to develop their car throughout the year.

Fernando Alonso and Gabriel Bortoleto speaking at the 2025 Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix — Photo by Joe Portlock/Getty Images

5. Yuki Tsunoda (2021) – 32 points, drivers’ championship – 14th

Yuki Tsunoda was the beneficiary of Albon losing his seat at Red Bull at the end of 2020, with the Thai driver mentoring him throughout his debut campaign.

His P4 finish in Abu Dhabi was overshadowed by what happened between Hamilton and Verstappen that day, but provided a glimpse of what he could achieve in the right car.

4. Kimi Antonelli (2025) – 150 points, drivers’ championship – 7th

Antonelli might feel hard done by that he’s scored the most points of any rookie on this list and only been ranked fourth, but Mercedes’ expectations and a worrying spell in the middle of the season have to be taken into account.

A Sprint Race pole position and three podiums highlight Antonelli’s potential, and he kept Verstappen behind him in Brazil to finish P2, something very few drivers have ever achieved in their careers.

3. Oliver Bearman (2025*) – 41 points, drivers’ championship – 13th

Formula 1 fans caught a glimpse of Bearman for Ferrari in Saudi Arabia in 2024 when he finished ahead of Hamilton and Lando Norris, and the end of his rookie campaign was phenomenal.

The British driver became the only Haas driver to score five consecutive points finishes, but Bearman picked up plenty of penalty points, and some red flag infringements alongside a couple of crashes are the only things that mark him down.

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Haas driver Oliver Bearman, Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc and Williams driver Carlos Sainz at the 2025 Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix — Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images

2. Isack Hadjar (2025) – 51 points, drivers’ championship – 12th

Very few drivers make such an impression during their debut season that they get called up to race for Red Bull, and people don’t think he’ll be immediately overwhelmed by a seat that’s ended several F1 careers.

Hadjar won’t be expected to beat Verstappen at any point next year, but scoring 51 points and being the best midfield qualifier in his maiden campaign can’t be sniffed at.

Asked about his promotion, Hadjar said he’s ready for anything, and next season will prove whether that’s truly the case.

Oscar Piastri pouring champagne on Isack Hadjar at the 2025 Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix — Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images

1. Oscar Piastri (2023) – 97 points, drivers’ championship – 9th

Oscar Piastri started the 2023 season simply hoping to get out of Q1 such were McLaren’s struggles.

However, the rapid improvement of their car led to back-to-back podiums in Japan and Qatar, and Piastri became the only rookie in history to win a Sprint Race at the Lusail circuit.

Antonelli and Hadjar’s rookie podiums deserve a lot of credit, but Piastri was a step above during his maiden season, and it’s hard to see many of the other drivers on this list being a championship contender within three years of joining the grid.

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