Who’s on track to winning F1 rookie of the year in 2025?
- DIVEBOMB Motorsport
- Aug 8
- 6 min read
Written by DIVEBOMB's F1 Department
An impressive class of rookies joined the 2025 Formula One grid, but who amongst them has shown the most promising signs of becoming rookie of the year? Our F1 writers weigh in.
Gabriel Bortoleto: On par with a veteran and competitive behind the wheel - Rohan Brown
Gabriel Bortoleto was confirmed to be an F1 driver on the 6th of November 2024, the first Brazilian driver on the grid since Felipe Massa retired at the end of the 2017 season. He entered the sport with a stellar junior formula record, being one of a few drivers to consecutively win the F3 and F2 Drivers’ Championships in their rookie years (other drivers on the grid who have completed this feat include Oscar Piastri and George Russell).
Despite being 17th in the drivers’ standings and with 14 points to his name so far this season, the Brazilian rookie has proven to be the best of the 2025 class of rookies due to his clear consistency and ability to compete with the car he was given alongside his veteran teammate Nico Hülkenberg.
In the Qualifying head-to-head he is 8-6 against his teammate and down 5-8 against Hülkenberg in the Grand Prix comparison (considering Hülkenberg’s DSQ in Bahrain). To be able to be on par with a teammate who has 241 starts in F1 whilst in your first season is very impressive, especially when noting that this year’s Sauber was not initially expected to be fighting in the midfield.
Additionally, his sixth place finish in the last round at Hungary demonstrates how Bortoleto has been able to effectively improve in form.
Whilst his record may not show it, the Brazilian driver has been able to punch above his weight in many races so far, with the reward being valuable points that have contributed to Sauber’s fight in the midfield.
All factors considered, the Sauber driver has proven himself to be the best of this year’s expansive rookie class - beating his experienced teammate in Grands Prix performance more often than not and continuing to help Sauber in their Constructors’ battle.
Isack Hadjar: A masterclass in bouncing back - Meghana Sree
Graduating from Formula 2 as the runner up in the Drivers’ Championship behind Bortoleto, Isack Hadjar was the final seat to be locked in for the 2025 F1 grid.
Joining Racing Bulls alongside Yuki Tsunoda, Hadjar’s nightmare F1 debut proved the adage ‘the first impression is the best impression’ completely wrong. After a painful formation lap crash in Australia that took him out of contention in his first F1 weekend, Hadjar bounced back and delivered inspired drives at the following rounds in China and Japan – qualifying seventh for the Chinese Grand Prix and collecting his maiden F1 points in Suzuka with a remarkable eighth place finish.
Since then, Hadjar’s consistency and speed have established him as one of the standout drivers of 2025, earning praise from across the paddock. His qualifying prowess in particular has already put his name in the mix for the rookie of the year accolade.
In the races Hadjar had his teammate as the slightly more experienced Liam Lawson after Tsunoda’s promotion to Red Bull, Hadjar leads Lawson in both the Qualifying and Grand Prix head-to-heads, impressively with zero Q1 exits thus far – the only 2025 rookie who boasts that statistic.
Adding to his case, Hadjar has been able to quietly yet consistently deliver results for the team in the face of a tumultuous season of internal politics.
It began with the Tsunoda-Lawson swap and now, the latest instalment in the Red Bull family drama has been Christian Horner’s high profile exit followed by Laurent Mekies’ promotion. Through it all, Hadjar has kept his head down to help his team remain a key player in the extremely close mid-field Constructors’ battle.
As for his mentality, Hadjar has proven to be resilient and capable of understanding where he needs to improve. Despite his last points-finish being five rounds ago in Spain, Hadjar is confident that he has both the car and pace to have “a good second half of the year”.
Kimi Antonelli: Making history in his rookie F1 season - Chloe Buckley
Taking over Lewis Hamilton’s seat in Mercedes was never going to be an easy job, but at just 18-years-old, Kimi Antonelli is already making history in F1. Shortly after his 18th birthday in August 2024, Antonelli was announced to be joining George Russell at the Silver Arrows.
Prior to F1, Antonelli joined the Junior Mercedes Programme in 2019 at just 12-years-old. In 2024, he competed in the F2 Drivers’ Championship where he came sixth after winning two races. He showed seriously impressive talent in these races, especially in his first victory with PREMA Racing at Silverstone after starting 10th in the rain-affected Sprint race.
So far this season, he’s broken the record for youngest pole sitter in F1 (in any race format) at the Sprint Qualifying in Miami. He also achieved his first podium in Canada and is the only one of the 2025 rookies to achieve this so far.
Antonelli is currently sitting seventh in the Drivers’ Championship with 63 points, making him the highest placing rookie in the standings ahead of the summer break. Despite four DNFs out of 14 races, and hiccups elsewhere, the Italian driver is proving to be quick on track and showing great promise for what’s to come in his career.
Taking the former seat of the most successful F1 driver of all time, there has been a lot of pressure put onto Antonelli to flourish. From the very beginning, he has been touted as Mercedes’ next prodigy and has even had a Netflix special made about him being brought to the team.
With the way his rookie season start has unfolded, he is living up to the hype. He has the pace, is building confidence and he is making his case to become the next big thing in the sport. He isn’t just here to learn, he’s here to take over – which is why Antonelli is my pick for rookie of the season so far.
Oliver Bearman: A consistent driver not to be dismissed - Caitlyn Gordon
Ollie Bearman’s first taste of F1 came during the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix where he jumped into the seat to fill for an unfit Carlos Sainz. Despite the light expectations after being thrown into the deep end as Ferrari’s second driver in Jeddah, the Briton left a historical mark during his first race. After just one practice session, Bearman qualified in 11th and finished the race in a remarkable seventh place.
The next big break for Bearman was later in that same season when another opportunity to jump into an F1 car came during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, after Kevin Magnussen received a race ban. Leaving the weekend with a tenth place finishing position and another impressive weekend under his belt, it came as no surprise when Bearman was announced as a driver on the 2025 grid.
After an electric two maiden F1 appearances, Bearman made his debut as a full-time Haas driver in Australia. Though he was unable to score a point in Australia after suffering from a pitlane start due to parc fermé changes, he still managed to move up the ladder in a gruelling wet weather race and finished in 14th. Throughout the first half of the season he has accumulated eight points, and sits 19th overall in the standings.
Despite not having the car underneath him to consistently secure points finishing positions Bearman has remained a consistent runner finishing just outside of the points in the last four out of five races.
Another reason not to discount Bearman is the fact the Briton has remained close to his veteran teammate Esteban Ocon throughout the season.
The Frenchman has voiced praise for the rookie labelling him as “technically above all other rookies” he’s worked with. It’s worth keeping an eye on the blooming talent of Bearman, as despite being a back-marker he continues to shine with his consistent performances.
