Emerson Fittipaldi believes Formula 1 has ‘a lot’ of talented rookie drivers on the grid in 2025 after welcoming six new full-time racers for the first time since the 2010 season.
F1 already got a sight of three of the new gems last year as Racing Bulls fielded Liam Lawson in six Grands Prix, Oliver Bearman started in three Grands Prix for Ferrari and Haas, plus Jack Doohan made his debut for Alpine. Yet the group of rookies doubled for the 2025 F1 season.
Mercedes also promoted their academy talent Andrea Kimi Antonelli as they replaced Lewis Hamilton. Audi also gifted 2024 F2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto a spot on the grid at Sauber. Lawson initially joining Red Bull even left a vacancy at Racing Bulls for Isack Hadjar to debut.
Antonelli being the only rookie now at a front-running team after Red Bull demoted Lawson back to Racing Bulls has helped the Italian to lead the unofficial rookie F1 drivers’ standings. The 18-year-old has taken 38 points through his first five rounds on the grid with Mercedes.
Emerson Fittipaldi ‘really likes’ Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli
Taking over the Mercedes that seven-time F1 champion Hamilton ditched to join Ferrari has even allowed the Bologna boy to break records. Antonelli broke Max Verstappen’s record as F1’s youngest race leader by three days in the Japanese Grand Prix at 18 years and 224 old.
READ MORE: Know all about 2025 Mercedes F1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli including stats
| CHAMPIONSHIP POSITION | DRIVER | TEAM | POINTS |
| 6 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 38 |
| 13 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | 6 |
| 14 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | 5 |
| 18 | Liam Lawson | Red Bull/Racing Bulls | 0 |
| 19 | Jack Doohan | Alpine | 0 |
| 20 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber | 0 |
Antonelli is also the first F1 rookie since Hamilton in 2007 to take points in each of their first three Grands Prix. And two-time F1 champion Fittipaldi is a big fan of Antonelli, who earned a remarkable P4 on his debut in Australia as the third-youngest racer to start in a Grand Prix.
Fittipaldi knows what Antonelli is capable of producing having seen the Italian in action from an early age. The Mercedes rookie competed against Fittipaldi’s son, Emerson Fittipaldi Jr, in go-karts as well as in the 2022 Italian and ADAC F4 championships which Antonelli also won.
“There are young drivers coming in with a lot of talent,” Fittipaldi told AS. “They can be very fast. There are many new ones. I really like Kimi Antonelli, a young driver who was very good in karting. He competed with my son, who’s in Eurocup-3 now.”
Emerson Fittipaldi sees positives for Gabriel Bortoleto in a ‘difficult team’ at Sauber
Driving for Mercedes has certainly helped Antonelli to showcase the potential that Fittipaldi has seen for a number of years. Bearman has the second-most points by any rookie in 2025 with six after the Haas ace was P8 in the Chinese Grand Prix plus P10 in Japan and Bahrain.
Hadjar is also the only other rookie to score points so far this season with five after handing Racing Bulls a P8 finish in Japan and P10 in Saudi Arabia. The 20-year-old’s form has made an impact with some, as well, with Karun Chandhok calling Hadjar the ‘standout’ F1 rookie.
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In contrast, 2024 F2 champion Bortoleto does not have the car underneath him to show the 20-year-old’s talent at Sauber. But Fittipaldi feels racing at the back of the grid at least offers his compatriot a chance to learn before Audi takes Sauber over as its factory entry in 2026.
Fittipaldi added: “It’s interesting for the public to see new talent coming in. For us Brazilians, Gabriel Bortoletto is in a difficult team but he’s learning.”
Audi gave Bortoleto a two-year contract to join Sauber for his debut F1 season in 2025. The Osasco, Sao Paulo native also penned his deal – which saw Bortoleto leave McLaren’s driver academy – before he won the F2 title as a rookie right after winning the F3 title as a rookie.
But the Brazilian’s best result in the pinnacle of motorsport so far was Bortoleto’s P14 in the Chinese Grand Prix after crashing out of his F1 debut for Sauber in Australia. Yet Bortoleto is reminding Sauber of a young Charles Leclerc who debuted in F1 with the team back in 2018.
