‘World class’ driver is about to prove Fernando Alonso wrong after he named 2025’s best F1 rookie

After having no rookies on the grid at the start of 2024, four new faces have been confirmed for the 2025 Formula 1 season.

Two of the 2025 rookies have already made their F1 debuts. Oliver Bearman made three appearances this season – one with Ferrari and two with Haas – while Jack Doohan got his first chance in F1 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after Alpine released Esteban Ocon from his contract.

Bearman will partner Ocon full-time at Haas next season while Doohan will be hoping to perform alongside Pierre Gasly amid the rumours that Franco Colapinto may have agreed a deal with Alpine from Williams for next year.

Mercedes will bring in Andrea Kimi Antonelli as the replacement for Lewis Hamilton, who will head to Ferrari on a multi-year deal, while Gabriel Bortoleto will race with Sauber, who will later become Audi in 2026.

Managed by Fernando Alonso, the Brazilian comes to F1 off the back of winning the Formula 3 and Formula 2 titles consecutively and at the first attempt. Winning the F2 championship in Abu Dhabi, Alonso claims that Bortoleto is F1’s ‘best’ rookie in 2025 following his incredible success in the junior categories.

But while the 20-year-old has a lot of hype surrounding him and has the talent to back that up, one of the other rookies on the 2025 grid may be about to prove Alonso wrong.

Gabriel Bortoleto is in for a difficult 2025 season with Sauber

Bortoleto is entering a complex situation by joining Sauber in 2025. The Swiss outfit will compete in their final season in F1 before Audi’s arrival the following year.

Sauber were the worst-performing team in 2024, as Zhou Guanyu’s trojan effort in Qatar scored their only points of the season with an impressive eighth. While the C44 showed some improvements towards the end of the year, the team were rock bottom of the Constructors’ Championship, 13 points adrift from their nearest rivals Williams.

With not much expected to change in 2025 before the new technical regulations come into effect in 2026, Bortoleto is likely to be at the back of the grid and struggling to compete for points. As Antonelli, Bearman and Doohan have cars that can score points consistently, Alonso’s claim that Bortoleto will be the best rookie next year is an extreme one.

There is only so much the Brazilian can do with a car that will likely be down in performance. The 2025 season will be a learning year for Bortoleto, and he does have key personnel around him to help him in his debut year, including manager Alonso, Sauber’s CTO Mattia Binotto, team principal Jonathan Wheatley and the 20-year-old’s experienced teammate Nico Hulkenberg.

Bortoleto will no doubt put in some admirable performance in 2025 and show his potential. But ultimately, F1 is all about results, and it is hard to say he will be the best rookie next year when the other three will likely outscore him in better machinery.

Why Oliver Bearman will be the best rookie in 2025 over Gabriel Bortoleto

Looking at the other three rookies, it is easy to say that Antonelli will be the best of the bunch, considering that his Mercedes will be the only car over Alpine, Haas and Sauber to compete for race wins.

However, the expectations are clearly there at the Silver Arrows as they will want Antonelli to be competitive from the off. The Italian will be under pressure to fill Hamilton’s absence, and Antonelli’s crash in FP1 at the Italian Grand Prix suggests that it is already getting to him.

Antonelli could very well challenge for podiums and even wins during the 2025 season, but he enters F1 with limited experience, while Bearman already knows what life in F1 is like after his appearances in 2024.

READ MORE: Who is 2025 Haas driver Oliver Bearman? Everything to know

Bearman produced an impressive drive in Saudi Arabia as the late call-up to replace Carlos Sainz at Ferrari, finishing seventh. The Brit replaced Kevin Magnussen at Haas in Baku and Sao Paulo, scoring points in the former with 10th and brought the VF-24 home in 12th in the latter after navigating through torrential rain.

Bearman, who was once called ‘world class‘ by Giedo van der Garde, has already proven his ability in F1 – most importantly with Haas which will put him in good stead for 2025.

While Antonelli will have a faster package than Doohan, Bearman and Bortoleto, Bearman’s impressive displays with Haas in 2024 puts him in a better position to meet the expectations the American team will have in 2025, compared to the huge expectations Mercedes will have for the Italian.