Formula 1 will see six rookies make their full-time debuts on the grid in 2025, the largest since the 2010 season when there were an additional three teams.
Teams have previously been reluctant to promote rookies on the risk they pose given their experience, but after Oliver Bearman subbed in for Carlos Sainz at the Saudi Arabian GP at Ferrari last year, it showed just how prepared some can be from their time as a simulator driver.
Max Verstappen is the benchmark in F1 having made his debut at just 17 years old for Toro Rosso in 2015, a record that will likely never be beaten under the current super licence rules.
It took the Dutchman six seasons before he won his first title, having needed to improve his skills a lot before taking on Lewis Hamilton. Discussing what has been the biggest improvement since he joined the grid, Verstappen offered some advice to the current rookies when speaking to Sport.de.
Max Verstappen says sleep is the ‘most important’ thing for rookies to improve
The current calendar can sometimes see three races back to back, which can make a driver’s job extra challenging due to the time zone changes.
F1 takes on Las Vegas and then Qatar at the end of the season, which is an 11-hour time difference. Verstappen says he has found sleep to be one of the most important areas to focus on when away from the track.
“What I find is the most important is sleep. You can train well, but if you’re not recovering well then it’s not going to help you out,” said Verstappen.
“So it’s really important to sleep well, and a lot of people maybe don’t realise how important it is. I also think I improved on that between 18 and now.”
Isack Hadjar faces ‘stupid’ rookie challenge
One of Red Bull’s latest stars to take on the grid is Isack Hadjar, who makes his debut with Racing Bulls following a strong season in F2.
The Frenchman was beaten to the F2 title by new Sauber recruit Gabriel Bortoleto, having missed out on the title by 22.5 points because he stalled on the grid during the feature race.
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Hadjar has claimed that he faces a big challenge at Racing Bulls, now that he is replacing Red Bull incumbent Liam Lawson.
He’s only driven the Racing Bulls car twice in FP1 over the last 12 months, while the team also gave him some seat time during the Abu Dhabi post-season test.
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