Six rookies, no new team, a first since 2001!

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Gabriel Bortoleto, Jack Doohan and Isack Hadjar have one Grand Prix between them, with the Australian starting in Abu Dhabi to close out the 2024 season. They are joined on the 2025 grid by the "experienced" Ollie Bearman (three starts) and Liam Lawson (eleven Grands Prix) to form a 2025 rookie class of six drivers competing in their first full season. While there were more rookies on the 2010 grid, with seven, it was a special year, marked by the arrival of three new teams (Lotus, Virgin and HRT), who alone had entered three of the seven rookies.

The 2001 season has more similarities with what we will experience next year. There were also six drivers who were embarking on their first full season, but this time, all the teams present in 2000 were there, and not one more. In this case, it was therefore a "conscious" rejuvenation of the grid, and not necessarily assisted by certain circumstances. Nearly a quarter of a century ago, only four drivers were considered rookies by the F1, as will be the case in 2025: Kimi Räikkönen, Juan Pablo Montoya, Fernando Alonso and Enrique Bernoldi (see photo at the top of the article). Luciano Burti (one Grand Prix in 2000) and Tarso Marques (eleven races between 1996 and 1997) completed the contingent.

2001 Rookies: What Happened to Them?

It would be no exaggeration to say that the class of 2001 has left its mark on Formula 1. While Bernoldi, Burti and Marques' stints in the premier class were rather quick, Fernando Alonso still regularly battles in the pack with drivers who weren't even born when he won his first Formula 1 Grand Prix, such as Oscar piastri ! A two-time world champion, the Spaniard is a key figure in F1, as evidenced by his exceptional longevity. After his first season at Minardi, he went on to become a test driver at Renault before launching his rise to the top in earnest in 2003. A brief stint at McLaren in 2007 almost brought him a third title, before his return to the stable ofenstone then his departure for Ferrari. A five-year adventure and two runner-up places behind Sebastian Vettel Later, Alonso returned to McLaren for better… and especially for worse. So much so that he took leave from F1 at the end of 2018, just long enough to go and win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, before returning home Alpine then in 2021 Aston Martin since 2023.

Kimi Räikkönen also had a long and successful career in F1. Although the Finn arrived in 2001 with a provisional Super Licence, given his very little experience in single-seaters, he only needed a few Grands Prix to convince the world that his place on the grid was valid. Ron Dennis came to get him after Mika Häkkinen's sabbatical, for the 2002 to 2006 seasons. Although he came close to the title on two occasions, he seized his opportunity at Ferrari in 2007. Three years later, he also left F1 for two years, notably participating in the WRC with Citroën and at events of NASCARA successful return to Lotus in 2012 opened the doors to Ferrari again in 2014, until 2018, before three final seasons at Alfa Romeo, the team of its beginnings since it was the new name of Sauber!

Juan Pablo Montoya arrived in F1 with a well-stocked CV, having won the CART (American F1) title in 1999 and the Indy 500 the following year. The fiery Colombian made sparks during his first four seasons at Williams, finishing third in the 2003 championship. The McLaren adventure, which began in 2005, came to an abrupt end in 2006, when he announced his departure… for NASCAR! Montoya stayed there until 2013 before returning in IndyCar and to win the Indy 500 again in 2015. Today, he supports his son Sebastian's career, even if we see him from time to time behind the wheel, in LM P2 or in NASCAR.

An equally glorious future for the 2025 rookies?

On paper, and by reputation, the rookies of the 2025 season have similar potential to the 2019 class, which was notably composed of Lando Norris, George Russell and Alexander albon. Kimi Antonelli and Liam Lawson will be in top teams next year, and could already bring home some trophies in their first full season, although the pressure is likely to be very high. Gabriel Bortoleto arrives as a champion F2 title for his rookie season, and if the Sauber should not be the best car, a good season could allow him to position himself ideally for the Audi project in 2026.

With his links to the Ferrari Driver Academy, Ollie Bearman could very well write his future in red, a colour he already wore for his very first Formula 1 Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia, where he was a replacement Carlos Sainz. Isack Hadjar is the last-minute arrival, having secured the last available seat at Racing Bulls, but the Frenchman has shown very good things in promotion formulas, especially in 2024 where he fought for the title until the end against Bortoleto. Finally, Jack Doohan is possibly on an ejection seat at Alpine, but a very good start to the season could reassure his bosses. Will we talk about the 2025 promotion as we did for that of 2001? The answer in 2049!

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