Who Are the Rookie Formula 1 Drivers in 2025?

A number of teams made driver changes ahead of the 2025 F1 season, but four teams currently employ a rookie driver. 

Who Are the Rookie F1 Drivers in 2025? 

The most high-profile rookie is Kimi Antonelli, who takes Lewis Hamilton’s vacated seat at Mercedes-Benz. 

Antonelli jumped up to Formula 1 after a season in Formula 2 last year. He finished sixth in the points standings for the F2 driver’s championship with one race win in Hungary. 

Antonelli isn’t the only driver to make the jump from F2 last year. 

Gabriel Bortoleto, who won the F2 Driver’s Championship in 2024, signed a deal to partner Nico Hulkenberg at Kick Sauber in 2024. 

Bortoleto, who captured an F3 title two years ago in 2023,  becomes the first full-time Brazilian Formula 1 driver since 2017. 

Two other rookies feature on the 2025 Formula 1 grid. 

Jack Doohan, who technically has one F1 grand prix under his belt, occupies the seat left by Esteban Ocon at Alpine. 

Doohan served as Alpine’s reserve driver since the 2023 season. The Australian finished as the championship runner-up in F3 in 2021 and sixth in the F2 championship in 2022. 

Finally, Isack Hadjar rounds out the 2025 F1 rookies. Hadjar joins Yuki Tsunoda at Racing Bulls after Liam Lawson took a seat with Red Bull Racing. 

Hadjar finished second to Bortoleto in the 2024 F2 championship standings with four race wins to his name last year. In 2023, he finished fourth in the F3 championship standings.