The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix proved to be one of the most testing races of the season for Formula 1’s six rookies.
It speaks volumes that none of F1’s least experienced drivers featured in the top 10 during the first practice session during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
However, each of them quickly got up to speed, taking inspiration from Oliver Bearman’s debut last season when he jumped into Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari at the last minute.
For the likes of Gabriel Bortoleto and Jack Doohan, the mission is still to try and score their first Formula 1 point.
Bortoleto was given a nearly impossible task by Sauber after pitting at the end of the first lap, although Doohan has staved off immediate threats over his Alpine future.
Position | Constructors’ Standings | Points |
1 |
McLaren Racing |
188 |
2 |
Mercedes-AMG Petronas |
111 |
3 |
Red Bull Racing |
89 |
4 |
Scuderia Ferrari |
78 |
5 |
Williams F1 Team |
25 |
6 |
Haas F1 Team |
20 |
7 |
Aston Martin F1 Team |
10 |
8 |
Racing Bulls |
8 |
9 |
Alpine F1 Team |
6 |
10 |
Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber |
6 |
Andrea Kimi Antonelli continues to star for Mercedes, and after five race weekends, it’s unlikely he would have expected to be sitting ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the drivers’ championship.
Racing Bulls currently have the only all-rookie pair on the grid in Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson, even if the New Zealander had started 11 Grand Prix before the start of the 2025 season.
Hadjar is currently on top out of that pair, but he didn’t have the most relaxing race on the streets of Jeddah.
READ MORE: Who is Racing Bulls 2025 F1 driver Isack Hadjar? Everything you need to know

Bernie Collins says Isack Hadjar was the ‘most annoyed’ he’s ever been on the team radio in Saudi Arabia
Speaking on Sky Sports F1 (20/4 8:53 pm) after the race in Saudi Arabia, pundits Jamie Chadwick and Bernie Collins were talking about Hadjar.
The Frenchman finished 10th after being eliminated in Q2, but was frustrated by both Williams drivers working together to prevent him making any more progress.
Chadwick explained: “Since then, he’s bounced back with some phenomenal form.
“He’s been able to quietly go about executing his business, picking up points, and today was a great race.
“He went long initially, and managed to sneak himself into the points, and then obviously he was battling with the Williams’ at the very end, and I think the teamwork from the two Williams’ kept him at bay.
“But still, to pick up a point for the Racing Bulls was a really impressive job.”
Et voilà 🤷#F1 #VCARB #SaudiArabianGP pic.twitter.com/H6Inrb4bUF
— Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team (@visacashapprb) April 20, 2025
Collins replied: “I think today was a bit of a recovery drive [for Liam], being right there with your teammate is the best you can expect.
“Interestingly, listening to Hadjar’s radio, that was the most annoyed I’ve heard him on the radio when he was trying to get with the Williams, trying to figure out as a team how they were going to attack those two Williams, that was quite interesting.
“But, Lawson’s got to build [himself] up. He’s come back to Racing Bulls in not the best mental state, we suspect, and he’s got to slowly build back into it.
“I think he’s done OK.”
READ MORE: All to know about Racing Bulls from team principal to Red Bull affiliation
Isack Hadjar surprising Racing Bulls engineers during his debut F1 season
Hadjar was the final driver to discover that he would be racing in Formula 1 in 2025 and there would have been concerns that he was underprepared.
Although he lost out to Bortoleto in the F2 title battle last year, he’s landed in a much stronger position than the Brazilian due to his Red Bull links, but he’s immediately shown why he was promoted over the winter.
DRIVER | RACES | WINS | POLES | PODIUMS | POINTS |
Jack Doohan | 59 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 303 |
Isack Hadjar | 54 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 247 |
Oliver Bearman | 50 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 205 |
Gabriel Bortoleto | 28 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 214.5 |
Andrea Kimi Antonelli | 26 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 113 |
Hadjar has already surprised his Racing Bulls engineers and despite becoming frustrated in Saudi Arabia, has been much more calm on the team radio than many anticipated.
He’s maturing quickly, and can consider himself a fan favourite already given how well he comes across on social media and in interviews.
The last few months have shown how quickly things can change within the Red Bull family, and Hadjar is only enhancing his reputation with each passing race weekend.
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