The two 2025 Formula 1 stars who failed their driving tests including three-time Grand Prix winner

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When Red Bull announced that Max Verstappen would make his F1 debut for Toro Rosso, he was still too young to take a driving test in his native Netherlands. Verstappen penned his contract at the age of just 16.

He would turn 17 a month later, though he still became the youngest driver in F1 history. The FIA changed their superlicence rules after Verstappen’s debut, raising the minimum age to 18.

It took Verstappen until his 18th birthday in September 2015 to pass his test. By that point, he was already 14 races into his F1 career, having competed against the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel.

Verstappen proves there’s little correlation between on-track performance and road readiness. But he also highlights the quirks of the junior system in motorsport.

For many teenage drivers, it will be difficult to find time for lessons within the racing schedule. There is, after all, a theory test as well as a practical examination.

Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli is the youngest driver on the 2025 grid. He was born in August 2006, the same year Fernando Alonso sealed his second world championship, and told Gazzetta dello Sport last year that he planned to take his test in December.

Why George Russell and Oliver Bearman failed driving tests on first attempt

A report from Autosprint names two drivers on the 2025 grid who failed their test first time – George Russell and Oliver Bearman. Russell won both the Formula 3 and Formula 2 titles before reaching F1, where he now has three Grand Prix wins to his name.

He failed at 17 when he was racing in Euro F3. Russell apparently underestimated the difficulty of the test, which is understandable for a driver competing in a continental racing series.

Bearman was Antonelli’s teammate at PREMA in F2, but he’s a year older than the Italian at 19. He joins Haas alongside Esteban Ocon for 2025.

The report reveals that he failed because he crossed the stop line at a red light. In the midst of his F3 campaign, he had to take more lessons before he could pass.

Martin Brundle knew exactly what George Russell would do to Lewis Hamilton in 2024

It’s now been almost 10 years since Russell’s driving test mishap. He should no longer be viewed as a young driver; instead, he’s an established member of the F1 elite.

Russell outperformed seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton last season. That raised his stock higher than ever ahead of Hamilton’s Ferrari move.

Martin Brundle predicted that Russell would escape Hamilton’s shadow in 2024. And based on the final championship standings, he was absolutely right.

The next step for Russell is to enter the title conversation. But Mercedes have a ‘really odd’ issue with understanding their car, and that could hamper the British driver until the 2026 regulation changes.