Mid-season Review of the Rookies

Report by Callum Griffies

As Formula 1 is about to hit the summer break, attention naturally turns to the sports newest faces as fans and reporters begin to rate their current rookie of the season at the halfway point.
Every year in Formula 1 the new rookies are closely analyzed, and 2nd chances are rarely ever given out in the sport. As they fight to show off their talent and showcase their driving abilities to prove themselves that they belong at the highest point of motorsport.
Jack Doohan
Jack Doohan was the talking point of all the rookies earlier this season as Alpine decided to drop him from the grid and replaced him with Franco Colapinto after just six races. The Australian driver was reasonably competing against his teammate Pierre Gasly in terms of raw pace throughout the six races. However, with zero points to his name and costly mistakes in qualifying and the races saw him quickly replaced.
Franco Colapinto
Although the Argentinian has only made 16 Grand Prix’s entry’s, he has made a name for himself and acquired a large following and fan base through his Argentinian nature. During the 2024 season he replaced a struggling Logan Sargent in the second half of the season for Williams. His performances in 2024 saw many teams linked with him for upcoming season. However, when Williams signed Carlos Sainz to partner Alex Albon for the 2025 season, he was left without a seat.
After signing with Alpine to replace Jack Doohan, he has struggled to find pace in the car as he currently sits 20th in the championship with zero points to his name and his highest finish this season being 13th at the Candian Grand Prix.
Kimi Antonelli
Arguably the rookie with the highest pressure coming from fans and the media. The Italian stepped into the shoes of Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes after the 7-time world champion left for Ferrari. Antonelli has delivered a strong rookie campaign so far as he continues to score points and securing his first ever podium in Formula 1 at the Canadian grand prix finishing 3rd. Despite receiving some critics in recent races and pressure building up on the rookie, he currently sits 7th in the championship at the age of 18 and being the 3rd youngest driver in history to step foot on the podium.


Isak Hadjar
Despite starting the season off in mixed fashion as the Frenchman qualified just outside the top 10 and failing to start the race due to spinning out and hitting the wall on the formation lap. Hadjar is certainly a strong contender to win rookie of the year after constant strong performances and showcasing his raw pace and race craft. The rookie currently holds a 9-2 qualifying record over his fellow rookie teammate Liam Lawson and holds an 8-2 race record over Liam Lawson as well.
Liam Lawson
Liam Lawson has had a very inconsistent season and a damaging first two races of his year. The Kiwi was promoted to Red Bull in 2025 over former Racing Bulls teammate Yuki Tsunoda. However, his year did not go as planned as he would be dropped from Red Bull back to the sister team within the first 2 races of the season. After failing to score any points in Australia and China he was replaced with Yuki Tsunoda.
The rookie didn’t score any points with Racing Bulls until the 8th race of the season at the Monaco Grand Prix. However, he looked like a completely different driver compared to the first two races of the season in the Red Bull. Lawson currently sits 14th in the championship with 16 points grabbed across the season so far.
Oliver Bearman
The young Brit burst onto the scene well before his rookie season began. During the 2024 Saudi Arabian grand prix the rookie was thrown into the Ferrari after Carlos Sainz had an appendix surgery. The rookie finished in a respectable 7th place scoring points on his debut.
However, Bearman’s rookie season with Haas has had many ups and downs. The rookie has been driving an inconsistent car this season whilst showing his class and potential in Formula 1. His standout performance this season was his comeback drive in Bahrain as he claimed his way up from 20th to 10th in the race whilst showing his race craft and scoring points for the team. The rookie showed his raw pace in qualifying at Suzuki as he reached Q3 for the first time.
Gabriel Bortoleto
The reigning Formula 2 champion came into this season with high expectations. The Brazil signed for Kick Sauber which is soon to be Audi in 2026. Bortoleto scored his first points in Austria finishing 8th finishing just behind his teammate Nico Hulkenberg. The rookie has found it hard to keep up to the pace of his experienced teammate however, His qualifying performances throughout the season haven’t gone unnoticed as the Brazilin scored the teams only Q3 appearance in Spa.