Ranking how F1’s six new full-time drivers will fare in 2025 including Kimi Antonelli vs Liam Lawson

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The 2024 Formula 1 season marked the first time in the sport’s history that no rookies joined the grid.

The driver line-ups at all 10 teams in 2024 remained exactly the same as how the 2023 season finished, leaving many furious. Eddie Jordan hit out at the teams for the ‘scandalous’ decision to keep their driver pairings the same and not offer the chance for up and coming talents to get their chance.

But not all of the 20 drivers who started the season made it to the final race in Abu Dhabi. Logan Sargeant and Daniel Ricciardo were both dismissed mid-season at Williams and RB respectively, being replaced by Franco Colapinto and Liam Lawson.

Esteban Ocon was replaced for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix by Jack Doohan as Alpine released the Frenchman from his contract early so he could join Haas, while Oliver Bearman made three appearances in 2024, replacing the ill Carlos Sainz at Ferrari in Saudi Arabia and stood in for Kevin Magnussen at Haas in Baku and Sao Paulo.

For the 2025 season, there will be six new full-time drivers on the grid hoping to prove themselves at their respective teams. Some are tied down for the long term, while others will be under pressure to deliver next season as they face being out of a drive come 2026.

How will F1’s newest talents fare in 2025? F1 Oversteer has taken a look at the six drivers and ranked them as to how they will perform next season from best to worst.

6 Jack Doohan

Doohan was afforded his F1 debut early in Abu Dhabi in 2024 and finished 15th after qualifying in P18. Of the six rookies, it seems that the Aussie is under the most pressure to perform.

It has been reported that Doohan is only contracted for five races in 2025, which gives him very little time to prove to Alpine that he is worthy of an F1 seat. Doohan’s situation is not helped by the fact that Alpine are pursuing a deal for Franco Colapinto as they try to lure the Argentine to the Enstone-based team from Williams.

READ MORE: Who is Alpine F1 driver Jack Doohan? All to know from his girlfriend to dad

Doohan marks the first Alpine driver to graduate from their academy into a full-time seat and he comes into 2025 off the back of being the team’s reserve driver, with the numerous tests and FP1 sessions he has done giving him a solid foundation to build upon next year.

Alpine finished sixth in the Constructors; Championship in 2024 and are back on the rise after a brilliant end to the season. Doohan’s teammate Pierre Gasly scored points in four of the five races – including third in Sao Paulo in what was a double-podium for the team – and will be a great figure to learn from in 2025.

Doohan’s position in F1 is justified and he deserves a fair opportunity to prove himself. But with the reports surrounding Alpine’s interest in Colapinto, it is hard to imagine that the Aussie will be able to block out the rumours and perform while his seat is already under threat.

5 Isack Hadjar

Formula 2 runner-up Isack Hadjar will race with Visa Cash App RB in 2025. The 20-year-old lost the F2 title in Abu Dhabi after suffering a mechanical issue in the Feature Race, but despite the heartbreaking end to the year, the Frenchman displayed just how good he can be, winning the most races of any other driver with four.

The problem for Hadjar is that he comes into F1 leaving something to be desired, especially given his disappointing outings in FP1 session with Red Bull in 2024. He had a dismal debut at Silverstone and spun in FP1 in Abu Dhabi and in the post-season test with the team.

READ MORE: Who is Red Bull junior driver Isack Hadjar? Everything you need to know

The 20-year-old will be up against Yuki Tsunoda at RB, who outclassed both of his teammates in 2024 and has been well-established with the Faenza squad since 2021. In a way, Hadjar is Tsunoda 2.0 given his trendacy to have explosive radio messages during a race.

Helmut Marko says Hadjar must control his emotions in F1 and stay focused – which he will need to be when competing against Tsunoda in a car that will be aiming to score regular points. The 20-year-old will no doubt get some points on the board in 2025, but it may be a slow start to life in F1 for Hadjar.

4 Gabriel Bortoleto

Hadjsr’s F2 title rival Gabriel Bortoleto is an exciting talent, having won the F3 and F2 consecutively in his first year in the categories. His manager Fernando Alonso made the claim that Bortoleto will be 2025’s best rookie after winning the F2 championship, but it is hard to imagine that will be the case for one reason.

Bortoleto will be driving with Sauber next season, moving to the team along with Nico Hulkenberg who is joining from Haas. The Brazilian and the German have both signed long-term contracts with the team that will see them become Audi works drivers in 2026.

READ MORE: Who is 2025 Sauber driver Gabriel Bortoleto? Everything you need to know

Sauber were the worst performing team by some distance in 2024, only scoring four points all season thanks to Zhou Guanyu’s trojan effort in Qatar. While their end to the season was encouraging for 2025, it is hard to see how that will lift the team from the back of the grid.

Bortoleto will only be able to do so much in a car that is likely to be slow again, with Lucas di Grassi even telling Bortoleto to leave Audi as soon as possible as he does not believe the team will improve their fortunes.

But the 20-year-old’s ability is clear to see and there is definitely a magic result in him in 2025 with Sauber. He will struggle to score points consistently, but Bortoleto will not drown in 2025.

3 Andrea Kimi Antonelli

Perhaps the most exciting rookie coming to F1 in 2025, Andrea Kimi Antonelli has big shoes to fill as he replaces seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes.

The Italian sensation has had a meteoric rise through the ranks after a brilliant junior career, but there is concerns about whether Mercedes have moved Antonelli up to F1 – especially in their car – too soon.

READ MORE: Know all about 2025 Mercedes F1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli including stats

The 18-year-old crashed in his first FP1 outing with the Silver Arrows at Monza – which suggested that the pressure was already getting to him. But Antonelli has a great support network around him at Mercedes with Toto Wolff rating the teenager highly and teammate George Russell being a great role model to look up to.

Next year will be a learning year for Antonelli, but there will be expectations to deliver results as Mercedes are a team who aim to fight for victories and championships. Telling Antonelli how Russell is doing will not ‘bring the best’ out of the Italian according to Peter Windsor as it will only put more pressure on his shoulders.

The Italian’s talent is evident and he will certainly be someone to watch out for in 2025, but to say he will deliver the results expected of a team to win titles may be too early at this stage.

2 Oliver Bearman

Oliver Bearman has a huge advantage coming into 2025, having already had numerous tests and three Grand Prix starts in F1.

The Brit put in a stunning drive on short notice to finish seventh in Jeddah on his debut with Ferrari. In fact, Bearman had limited time to prepare for all three of his races in 2024 and with his future team Haas, he beat teammate Hulkenberg in both Baku and Sao Paulo – scoring a point in the former.

READ MORE: Who is 2025 Haas driver Oliver Bearman? Everything to know

Guenther Steiner was unimpressed by Bearman in Sao Paulo as he felt the Brit was trying to find where the track was throughout the race – comments which seem quite harsh considering that he had never driven an F1 car in the rain before, or around the Interlagos Circuit prior to the race.

Having already proven his worth in F1 with some solid results, and with Haas on the rise under Ayao Komatsu as they boasted arguably the fifth-fastest car come the end of 2024, Bearman will be an exciting driver in 2025 that could produce some great results.

1 Liam Lawson

After the sacking of Sergio Perez, Liam Lawson will be the next driver to go up against the seemingly unstoppable Max Verstappen at Red Bull.

The Kiwi driver has only competed in 11 Grand Prix with RB, but Christian Horner felt Lawson demonstrated ‘the right mindset’ for Red Bull in a short space of time – which is why he got the seat over his RB teammate Tsunoda.

READ MORE: Who is Red Bull Racing F1 driver Liam Lawson? Everything you need to know

When looking into his performances on track, it is not hard to see why the 22-year-old was promoted. Lawson has proven he is fast over one lap and his aggressive driving style led him to score four points in 2024.

Now that he finds himself in a car that is capable of winning races and world championships, Lawson has a great opportunity to fight at the front and right Perez’s wrongs from 2024 by helping Red Bull to secure the Constructors’ Championship.

While Lawson himself admits he does not expect to fight for the championship in 2025, he will be competitive and a force to be reckoned with at the front.