Formula 1 becoming increasingly favorable to young drivers

A renewal is brewing in Formula 1. While the 2024 season had been particularly quiet in terms of drivers, with, for the first time in history, no changes compared to the previous year, the 2025 season will be very different. The paddock is getting ready to welcome four rookies as full-time drivers following a significant wave of transfers that has also affected more experienced drivers, such as Sainz, who is leaving Ferrari for Williams, and Hamilton, who is ending his collaboration with Mercedes and will replace the Spanish driver in the Italian team. At the same time, other drivers will, for the first time, be on the starting grid officially.

A year 2025 under the sign of youth

This is particularly the case for Jack Doohan. The Australian, reserve driver for Alpine, was confirmed by the French team alongside Pierre Gasly, after Esteban Ocon’s departure, the Normandy native joining the American team Haas. A piece of news that the former Formula 1 driver had received with great pleasure a few weeks ago. « I am thrilled to be promoted to a full-time driver with Alpine in 2025. I am very grateful for the trust that the team management is giving me. There is so much work to be done to be ready, and I will do my best to absorb as much information and knowledge as possible to be ready when the time comes to step up. »

Another driver who will discover a full Formula 1 weekend: Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The Italian prodigy, a member of the Mercedes academy, was chosen by the German team to replace the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who is heading to Ferrari. A daunting task for the 2023 FRECA champion, but also demonstrates the full trust that Mercedes has in him. “Kimi has regularly shown the talent and speed necessary to be competitive at the highest level,” said Toto Wolff, the team principal of Mercedes, in the statement announcing the news. “We are aware that this is a high step, but we have been impressed by his performances during test days, and we will support him at every stage of his learning process.”

Another young talent will join them: Oliver Bearman, who has already been able to participate in Grand Prix this season. The Briton had the opportunity to race twice: in Saudi Arabia, when he replaced Sainz, who was victim of appendicitis, and in Baku, with Haas, when Magnussen was suspended for a race. The Prema driver in Formula 2 will be a full-time driver next year within the American team.

Liam Lawson seems to be in a good position to be the fourth rookie in 2025. The New Zealander, like Bearman, has already taken part in race weekends. He notably replaced Ricciardo last year, from Zandvoort to the Qatar Grand Prix. This situation will happen again this season, as Lawson will once again replace the Australian driver at Racing Bulls, this time for the last six races of the season. Lawson is the frontrunner to be officially confirmed as a full-time driver for Red Bull’s sister team next year. Unless the Austrian management decides to prioritize another driver, experienced or not.

Read also: Liam Lawson toujours susceptible de remplacer Pérez chez Red Bull

Finally, a fifth driver could even make an appearance if Audi decides to choose Colapinto or Bortoleto for its second seat alongside Nico Hülkenberg. An influx of rookie drivers that raises questions about the 2024 season, much quieter in terms of transfers, but which can be explained by several factors.

Young people are better and better prepared for Formula 1.

For several years, technology has allowed Formula 1 to enter another dimension, which has been beneficial for both official drivers and young talents who now have spectacular means to prepare before arriving in Formula 1. Among these tools, there is the simulator, which is becoming more and more precise. An essential device, especially since mid-season testing has been banned by the FIA since 2009, limiting the driving time for these young pilots. Today, some simulators have an almost absolute correlation with the real world, which greatly helps all drivers understand all the specifics of a Formula 1 car. For Jock Clear, director of Ferrari’s young driver academy, this progress is one of the main reasons explaining why young drivers are so fast as soon as they arrive in the category.

« As soon as you tell an F1 team, “You can’t do any more tests,” then the F1 teams will aggressively develop another way of doing exactly the same job. The fidelity of the simulators is now at such a good level that what we see with Colapinto and Ollie is the result. In fact, when they arrive here, it’s not completely foreign to them. They know what to do with the tires. They know what to expect. The virtual circuit they drive in the simulator is so good, explained the Briton on the podcast F1 Nation. In contrast, Fernando Alonso believes that despite all the tools available, this is not enough, as they will never replace the reality of the track. The Spanish driver took the opportunity to salute the work of Bearman and Colapinto, two rookies who discovered Formula 1 this year and immediately were able to be in pace.

“I think they’ve done an incredible job, and they deserve all the credit,” Alonso said after the Singapore Grand Prix. “They are better prepared, they do more simulations, they do Testing Previous Car [TPC] and tests, but it’s not the same as racing. They felt the pressure of the race and urban circuits, and they did an incredible job. The championship also has 24 races, and they have to perform at this high level for 10 months, which is probably another challenge. But so far, they have been incredibly good, and that’s good for the sport and for the future.”

Teams that now want to promote their academy.

The other reason for the sudden arrival of rookies next year is the teams’ desire to promote the drivers from their academy more. This was not done in previous years, especially with Theo Pourchaire, a member of Sauber and Formula 2 world champion in 2023, who was not selected this season by the Swiss team. However, this season, the teams focused on their own work. Williams preferred to choose Colapinto to replace Sargeant, even though Lawson or Schumacher were also available, and Mercedes turned to Antonelli, although other options were considered initially.

Thanks to the recent exploits of Bearman, Colapinto and even Piastri, who quickly managed to perform well, teams also seem to want to trust young drivers. It remains to be seen whether Audi will take the same path and decide to hand over a fifth rookie in the person of Gabriel Bortoleto, current leader of Formula 2, a promotion formula that is increasingly attracting Formula 1 teams.