Formula 1’s Rookie Report Card After 5 Grand Prix’s

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Kimi Andrea Antonelli, Mercedes, Formula 1

The opening five rounds of the 2025 Formula 1 season have treated fans to a rookie renaissance. Six first-year drivers—Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Oliver Bearman, Isack Hadjar, Liam Lawson, Jack Doohan and Gabriel Bortoleto—have already flipped the midfield script, collecting precious points, headlines and sometimes carbon-fibre confetti. Below, we break down their campaigns so far, spotlight their standout moments and weaknesses, and project what to watch as the paddock packs for the next stop in Miami.

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Current Snapshot

RookieTeamPointsBest ResultGrade
Andrea Kimi AntonelliMercedes384th – AustraliaA–
Oliver BearmanHaas68th – ChinaB
Isack HadjarRacing Bulls58th – JapanB–
Liam LawsonRacing Bulls → Red Bull → Racing Bulls012th – China & SaudiC
Jack DoohanAlpine013th – ChinaD+
Gabriel BortoletoKick Sauber014th – ChinaD

*Standings after Round 5 (Saudi Arabia).

Andrea Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes

Youngest-ever race leader, five straight points finishes

Mercedes rolled the dice on an 18-year-old and hit the jackpot. Antonelli became the youngest driver in history to lead a Grand Prix—and set fastest lap—at Suzuka. His polished P6 there followed a season-opening P4 in Melbourne and a solid top-six run under the Jeddah lights. He’s matching George Russell’s stints for tyre life and, crucially, has out-qualified Lewis Hamilton twice.

Strengths: peerless composure in traffic, elite tyre management, rapid learning curve on new layouts.
Weaknesses: launch consistency (clutch bite cost him in Bahrain), occasional rear-tyre over-stress late in stints.

Outlook: A podium feels inevitable—perhaps as soon as Montréal—if Mercedes keep nibbling closer to McLaren and Red Bull.

Oliver Bearman – Haas

Last-to-10th masterclass in Bahrain, gritty P8 in China

Oliver Bearman, HAAS, Ferrari, Formula 1

Bearman’s recovery drive from P20 to P10 at Sakhir earned universal plaudits; his late-stint pace on hard tyres suggests a driver already confident in Haas’s VF-25. Shanghai proved that was no fluke, as he sliced to eighth on merit. Qualifying remains hit-or-miss, but the 19-year-old “Ollie” is the heartbeat of Haas’s surprise surge to sixth in the constructors’ race.

Strengths: brave late-braker, deft tyre prep on cool surfaces, strong feedback accelerating upgrades.
Weaknesses: raw one-lap speed (three Q1 exits), brake-temperature management in heavy-stop tracks.

Outlook: If Haas find another couple of tenths, Bearman could emulate Nico Hülkenberg’s 2010 rookie tally of 22 points by season’s end.

Isack Hadjar – Racing Bulls

“Perfect race” nets first career points at Suzuka

Hadjar shook off a painful seat-belt glitch in qualifying to finish eighth in Japan, showcasing strategic calm and sharp tyre conservation. His temperament has impressed team boss Laurent Mekies, who believes the Frenchman is “ahead of the curve” relative to Yuki Tsunoda’s early F1 seasons. Consistency is next on the checklist.

Strengths: mid-corner rotation suits the high-rake VCARB-01, cool head in high-degradation scenarios.
Weaknesses: patchy qualifying form, cockpit-fit issues hampering long-run comfort.

Outlook: Another top-10 in the next three rounds would cement him as Red Bull’s next long-shot talent.

Liam Lawson – Racing Bulls / Red Bull

Two-race Red Bull cameo ends in sudden demotion

No rookie has ridden a wilder political rollercoaster. Promoted to replace Sergio Pérez, Lawson lasted only Australia and China before being swapped back out for Tsunoda. Back at Racing Bulls he’s still hunting that first point, though insiders say he’s “re-energised.” His sector times match Hadjar’s on heavy fuel but drift on low-fuel quali sims.

Strengths: robust wheel-to-wheel racecraft, excels in mixed conditions.
Weaknesses: struggles to unlock the RB21’s high-speed rotation; confidence dented by rapid team shuffle.

Outlook: Needs a clean, point-scoring weekend to silence chatter about his future.

Jack Doohan – Alpine

Crashes and penalties cloud promising flashes

A hefty Suzuka FP2 shunt and penalty points in Shanghai sum up Doohan’s bruising baptism. Alpine management insists the Aussie is safe for now, but reserve Franco Colapinto is waiting in the wings. Amid the chaos, Doohan did match Pierre Gasly’s race pace in Saudi Arabia despite floor damage.

Strengths: strong rebound mentality, quick to adapt when track-evolution swings.
Weaknesses: frequent infractions, over-attacks apex kerbs causing floor wear.

Outlook: Needs discipline as much as outright speed; even a scrappy P10 would buy breathing room.

Gabriel Bortoleto – Kick Sauber

Sauber Mechanical Frustration masks glimpses of smooth race pace

The reigning F2 champion has endured a tough transition: zero FP2 laps in Jeddah due to a fuel leak, plus a Q1 spin in China. Sauber view the Brazilian as an “Audi project,” but public patience is thin. He sits 0.3 s shy of Nico Hülkenberg in average qualifying delta and has yet to master first-lap elbows-out combat.

Strengths: clean steering inputs reduce grain, exemplary simulator correlation.
Weaknesses: timid on cold brakes, hesitates in Lap-1 traffic, confidence dips in low-grip sessions.

Outlook: Points before the summer break would restore momentum—and fend off speculation about Sauber’s reserve roster.

Key Takeaways

  1. Antonelli leads the class on points, consistency and historical firsts.
  2. Bearman & Hadjar are midfield lifelines, already out-scoring better-funded rivals.
  3. Lawson & Doohan face crunch time—one needs points, the other needs mistake-free weekends.
  4. Bortoleto must convert pace into results to keep Sauber’s long-term faith intact.

Conclusion – Eyes on Miami

The Hard Rock Stadium’s fast, low-downforce layout will stress braking stability and energy deployment—prime areas where rookies can either shine or wilt. Antonelli’s calm under pressure suggests another top-six is on the cards, while Bearman’s Bahrain heroics hint at late-race fireworks. For Lawson, Doohan and Bortoleto, simply bagging a clean weekend and flirting with Q2 would feel like victory. One thing is certain: as the next chapter unfolds in Miami, F1’s class of 2025 is already rewriting the rookie playbook.

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