The new Formula 1 season is getting closer. Just over a month remains until what promises to be one of the most competitive seasons in years, filled with numerous changes. Chief among them is the high number of rookies who will be driving the fastest cars in the world starting in 2025. Former F1 driver Valtteri Bottas remains highly skeptical of this decision.
The season, which begins on March 16 in Australia, will see one of the highest numbers of debutants in years. Last year, for example, at the start of the season, none of the 20 drivers were rookies—every participant from the 2023 season had been retained. However, as we know, things changed over the course of the year.
First came the debut of Oliver Bearman, a Ferrari Driver Academy member, who replaced Carlos Sainz in Jeddah and Magnussen in Baku and Brazil. Later, Logan Sargeant’s seat at Williams was taken over for the final races by Franco Colapinto, who impressed both spectators and insiders. Lastly, despite having already raced in 2023, Liam Lawson returned to replace Daniel Ricciardo.
Excluding the Argentine driver, those who will become full-time F1 drivers in 2025 include Oliver Bearman at Haas and Liam Lawson at Red Bull. Additionally, four more young drivers will join the grid: Jack Doohan at Alpine, after his Abu Dhabi outing, Isack Hadjar at RB, Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes, and Gabriel Bortoleto at Sauber.
Former Sauber driver Valtteri Bottas, in an interview with Motorsport Week, admitted his skepticism about this generational shift set to unfold on the track this season. “There is a certain trend right now in choosing rookies and young drivers. I think next year we will see how well they all perform.”
“And then again, this trend might change. At the moment, rookies are preferred over experience. Sometimes it works, other times it doesn’t. Only time will tell.” – the Mercedes driver concluded.
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