The next generation of Formula 1 stars are making their final preparations ahead of the 2025 season.
The 2025 F1 grid has been confirmed and six drivers are getting ready to start their first full Formula 1 season.
Although they can all technically be classified as rookies, they have very different levels of experience – both in Formula 1 and junior series.
New Red Bull driver Liam Lawson has already taken part in 11 Grand Prix, while Haas’ latest recruit Oliver Bearman was a super sub on three separate occasions in 2024.
Even the rookies who will be making their Formula 1 debut at the Australian Grand Prix aren’t quite on a level playing field.
Isack Hadjar and Gabriel Bortoleto have only done a few tests between, while Mercedes have fully prepared Andrea Kimi Antonelli as he attempts to replace Lewis Hamilton this season.
All of these drivers have different expectations based on the teams that they’re joining.
Hadjar will want to get as close to Yuki Tsunoda as possible, while Lawson simply has to support Max Verstappen as Red Bull hope to achieve a fifth successive drivers’ championship for their star racer.
France’s newest Formula 1 driver was speaking in an interview with Romain Monti on his YouTube channel about the upcoming campaign.
Hadjar was asked about Antonelli and made an interesting comparison to Verstappen.
Isack Hadjar explains the similarities between Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen
Hadjar was asked what he thought of how Antonelli has risen up the ranks of motorsport so quickly and said: “I know he’s very talented, so in terms of pure speed, he has skills.
“You can see it in the way he drives.
“Then, Mercedes, they know what they’re doing. They’ve been watching him since he joined the program.
“And it sure is a big, big step, there must be a lot of pressure.
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“But honestly, I’m not worried about him, they’ve prepared him so well. It’s a bit reminiscent of Verstappen.
“After that, I think it’s even bigger because he’s already in a top team. The step is huge.
“He only had one season in F2, he skipped F3. Why not? I think, for F1 fans, it’s nice to have a character like that on the grid.”
How Isack Hadjar and Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s careers compare after of Formula 1 debuts
While all the attention is on how quickly Antonelli has reached F1, Hadjar’s junior career hasn’t been quite as glittering.
The French-Algerian 20-year-old started racing in Formula 4 in 2019, coming third in the championship the following year with fellow Red Bull junior Ayumu Iwasa winning the title.
He finished fourth in Formula 3 in 2022 with Hitech, and that was enough with Red Bull’s backing to step up to F2, although he only finished 14th during his first season at that level.
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Last year Hadjar was in a fierce title battle with Bortoleto that ended in the Brazilian’s favour after failing to get off the line at the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
Antonelli finished sixth in Formula 2 last season, but Prema’s car never looked capable of challenging for the championship.
However, the 18-year-old Italian already has a myriad of titles to his name and skipping Formula 3 makes his achievements last season even more impressive.
It’s unlikely that Hadjar and Antonelli will be battling on track at all in 2025, but the Frenchman is much more closely following Verstappen’s trajectory in F1 at Red Bull’s junior team.
