Formula 1 boasts six full-season rookies on the 2025 grid and new Haas racer Oliver Bearman is not the young driver Ted Kravitz thinks fans will love watching the most.
Six rookies is the most that F1 has started any season with since 2001 when future two-time drivers’ champion Fernando Alonso plus Juan Pablo Montoya penned their debuts racing for Minardi plus Williams. The 2007 drivers’ champion Kimi Raikkonen even debuted for Sauber.
This year’s group of rookies in Bearman with Haas, Andrea Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes, Liam Lawson with Red Bull, Jack Doohan for Alpine, Gabriel Bortoleto for Sauber and Isack Hadjar with Racing Bulls will strive to enjoy careers like Alonso, Montoya and Raikkonen registered.
Officially, the FIA has not cited Bearman and Lawson as rookies as they have already started three and 11 Grands Prix. Doohan even penned his debut at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, but Antonelli, Bortoleto and Hadjar will make their debuts in the 2025 Australian Grand Prix.
Ted Kravitz names Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli as the 2025 F1 rookie fans will ‘really enjoy watching’
Dominos fell throughout the field for six full-season rookies to get on the 2025 F1 grid. Lewis Hamilton switching Mercedes for Ferrari opened a vacancy for Antonelli. Red Bull promoting Lawson after cancelling Sergio Perez’s contract also created a gap at Racing Bulls for Hadjar.
Bearman got his seat at Haas after Nico Hulkenberg signed a three-year works Audi contract to join Sauber, who will field Bortoleto after axing Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu. Doohan moved from a reserve driver role as Alpine opted against extending Esteban Ocon’s contract.
READ MORE: Know all about 2025 Mercedes F1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli including stats
While Bortoleto looked ‘wild’ in Sauber’s 2025 F1 car during testing, Kravitz has selected the 2024 F2 champion as one of his rookies to watch. But it is Antonelli, above all, who Kravitz is backing to delight fans after watching the Italian’s ‘aggressive’ driving style during F1 testing.
“It’s hard when some of the rookies are in cars that maybe don’t do their talents justice,” he told Sky Sports. “But, having said that, Gabriel Bortoleto is already one of my ones to watch.
“He has a good perspective on things and he seems to have a bit of patience, which he’ll need as Sauber inch their way up the grid.
“But watching trackside, Kimi Antonelli was the one who impressed me most. He has a dramatic, aggressive and – to borrow a phrase from Martin Brundle – acrobatic style, which I think we’re going to really enjoy watching this year.”
Ted Kravitz tips Oliver Bearman to ‘spring a surprise’ if Haas’ 2025 F1 car is good enough
While Kravitz snubbed Bearman as one of his rookies to watch in the 2025 Formula 1 season in favour of Antonelli and Bortoleto, Sky Sports’ pit lane prowler does back the Haas racer to ‘spring a surprise’ in his first season as a full-time driver so long as their car is up to the task.
READ MORE: Who is 2025 Haas driver Oliver Bearman? Everything to know
“I’ve got high hopes for Ollie Bearman, as well, if the Haas can spring a surprise or two,” he added as Kravitz listed his predictions for any potential shock results in the campaign ahead.
Kravitz thinks it is ‘optimistic’ to put Haas as the seventh-best F1 team in 2025, though, after the VF-25 suffered with low-speed understeer at testing. Even Bottas noted he is concerned for Haas after seeing what the American crew could produce at the Bahrain Grand Prix track.
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