Formula 1 has experienced a generational shift ahead of the 2025 season. An influx of rookies has reshaped the age profile of the grid.
Kimi Antonelli will become the third-youngest driver in F1 history when he makes his debut at the Australian Grand Prix this weekend. 19-year-old Oliver Bearman will also be high up on that list.
Gabriel Bortoleto and Isack Hadjar, who battled for the Formula 2 title last season, are only 20. And Jack Doohan turned 22 as recently as January.
All of a sudden, drivers who were previously considered young start to look seasoned. After the exits of Sergio Perez, Daniel Ricciardo and Kevin Magnussen, there are no drivers aged between 31 and 36, with Nico Hulkenberg, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso very much representing the elder statesmen.
This year’s rookie class is perhaps the most exciting since 2019, when George Russell, Lando Norris and Alex Albon broke through after locking out the top three in F2. Now Russell and Norris have started 128 races apiece, while Albon is also a centurion despite his one-year absence in 2021.
David Coulthard applauds Lando Norris for how he spoke before Australian Grand Prix
Ahead of the season opener, Australian fans had the opportunity to attend ‘An Evening with David Coulthard‘. The Scotsman won 13 races, all but one for McLaren, but he could drop down the leaderboard this year.
Norris enters the year with four wins to his name, but Max Verstappen says McLaren have the best car by some margin right now. The 25-year-old could feasibly triple his victory haul by the end of December.
Speaking on the Formula for Success podcast, Coulthard revealed that Norris also appeared on stage in the Melbourne event. He apparently gave an ‘absolutely brilliant’ interview.
Coulthard says he was strikingly honest about his shortcomings in 2024 as he finished runner-up to Verstappen. Toto Wolff believes Norris has learned what’s required to win a title after his first experience of battling for the top prize.
“He was on stage chatting away in one of those fireside chats as a warm-up act for me to go on later,” Coulthard said. “He spoke so openly, so engagingly. He was absolutely brilliant.
“The way he engaged with the audience with his honesty about what he learned last year and what he has to do this year. I would vote for this guy to be Prime Minister, he’s so believable!”
Martin Brundle pinpoints the change he’s seen in McLaren star Lando Norris
Norris tried to downplay McLaren’s advantage during his media day commitments. Perhaps he feels rivals are piling the pressure on him by talking up the MCL39’s performance.
Indeed, Norris says Ferrari will surprise the F1 paddock with their pace this weekend. Lewis Hamilton is making his debut for the Scuderia, which has at least drawn some publicity away from McLaren.
Martin Brundle says Norris has entered ‘overdrive’ during the winter and expects him to unleash another level. The sniff of a title last year was unexpected, but he enters this year as the favourite in the eyes of many observers.
Teammate Oscar Piastri signed a new long-term deal this week ahead of his home Grand Prix. Piastri was demoted to no. 2 status at the end of last season, but if he takes another step, Norris’ strongest challenge could come from within.
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