David Coulthard names which rookie is ‘best prepared’ for the 2025 Formula 1 season

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Formula 1 has three rookies confirmed for the 2025 season, injecting new talent into next season’s grid after no drivers moved teams ahead of this year.

Oliver Bearman and Andrea Kimi Antonelli will step up to F1 with Haas and Mercedes after having impressive junior careers and winning championships.

They will be joined by Jack Doohan who is making his is beginning his rookie season in 2025 alongside Pierre Gasly at Alpine and is very well prepared after spending this season as the team’s reserve driver.

The Australian has completed six FP1 outings on various tracks over the past three years. This includes Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Canada and the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico which he has never raced on in his junior career.

Doohan is stepping into a team he knows well after being part of the Alpine Academy and being given opportunities to drive in first practice sessions on race weekends.

Despite the two other rookies joining Formula 1 with significantly more media attention, David Coulthard said on the Formula For Success podcast that Doohan is the most prepared of them all.

David Coulthard believes Jack Doohan is the best prepared F1 rookie heading into 2025

Doohan has had more track time on Formula 1 race weekends than Bearman and Antonelli, which is vital to experience the pressure of a Grand Prix event.

In contrast, Antonelli drove in a short-lived FP1 session of the Italian Grand Prix before crashing in the early stages of the session at Monza.

The Italian has completed multiple test days in older Mercedes cars, which have allowed him to adjust to the speed of an F1 car, but not the added pressure he will be under in 2025.

READ MORE: Jack Doohan shares what he would change about this season despite earning a 2025 Alpine seat

If a driver enters Formula 1 on the back foot, it can be very difficult to catch up and retain the drive for the upcoming seasons.

Coulthard has followed Doohan closely over his career and said: “I think Jack Doohan is actually the best prepared in terms of years on Earth and just observing and growing.

“I’ve seen him go from a boy to a man, and he’s definitely got that Aussie grit. He’s fit as a butcher’s dog.”

Alpine promoting a rookie is a rarity in Formula 1

Alpine has been suffering from a lacklustre car, and some team members went on strike amid news that the outfit could become a customer team.

They have had multiple very quick drivers in their academy, such as Oscar Piastri and Zhou Guanyu who weren’t promoted by Alpine to F1.

Doohan has been given a great opportunity to deliver at the highest level despite Alpine not competing at the front of the field.

Racing away from the sharp end may help Doohan acclimatise to F1 while battling his much more experienced teammate Gasly in a works team.