How do the rookies stack up at the halfway point of the 2025 F1 season? Image: XPB Images
Antonelli, handed one of the grid’s most high-pressure seats at just 18, has delivered a composed and consistent opening campaign, collecting 63 points, triple the total of the next-best rookie, Hadjar.
He remains the only first-year driver to stand on a Grand Prix podium, has reached Q3 nine times, and also claimed a famous sprint pole at the Miami Grand Prix.
Yet despite the promise, Antonelli is still searching for his first win over teammate George Russell, with the Italian down 0-12 in races and 1-11 in qualifying. The raw pace is clear, but the benchmark within his own garage remains out of reach for now.
Hadjar, meanwhile, has built an equally compelling case in less competitive machinery.
The Frenchman has scored 21 points for RB and holds a dominant 10-2 head-to-head lead against his teammates in races and 9-2 in qualifying.
Since round three, when Liam Lawson was demoted from Red Bull and swapped with Yuki Tsunoda, Hadjar has taken firm control of the intra-team battle, with a 0.183s average qualifying advantage over the Kiwi and 58 percent of the team’s total points to his name — the highest share of any rookie.
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Lawson’s 2025 season, meanwhile, has been a rollercoaster.
Initially promoted to Red Bull in place of Sergio Perez, the New Zealander lasted just two bruising outings alongside Max Verstappen before being replaced. His average qualifying gap to the Dutchman was nearly nine tenths.
Back at RB, Lawson has struggled to regain momentum, scoring just 12 points and trailing Hadjar across every meaningful metric.
Isack Hadjar has had the edge over both his 2025 teammates at RB so far. Image: XPB Images
At Haas, Ollie Bearman has quietly pieced together a solid rookie campaign.
The Ferrari junior has banked six points and, crucially, is holding his own against experienced teammate Esteban Ocon.
The qualifying battle is deadlocked at 6-6, and although he trails 4-8 in race results, Bearman has kept his average qualifying gap to Ocon to just 0.057s — the second-smallest margin among all rookies.
While six Q1 eliminations point to some inconsistency, the underlying pace has been promising, especially for a driver still learning the rigours of full-time F1.
Gabriel Bortoleto has shown similar promise at Sauber.
With four points and one Q3 appearance, the Brazilian has had to contend with a difficult car and a seasoned teammate in Nico Hulkenberg, but has matched him 6-6 in qualifying and has a commendable average qualifying deficit of just 0.051s — the third-best among all rookies.
While he trails 4-8 in races and has the most Q1 exits of any rookie (seven), Bortoleto’s one-lap pace and calm racecraft show glimpses of a driver building a strong foundation for the future, particularly during his strong drive to eighth in Austria.
At Alpine, the rookie seat has been the source of much debate.
Jack Doohan began the year alongside Pierre Gasly but was dropped after just six races in favour of reserve driver Franco Colapinto, a move that didn’t sit well across the paddock.
Though he failed to score, Doohan was reasonably competitive against Gasly, with a 2-4 race and qualifying record and an average deficit of 0.288s.
Since his promotion, Colapinto has put in similar numbers — 2-4 in both races and qualifying, with a 0.303s average gap — but hasn’t shown a clear performance edge over the man he replaced.
Based on the overall numbers, Antonelli leads the rookie pack, but Hadjar’s consistency, maturity, and ability to extract performance in midfield machinery arguably make him the most well-rounded newcomer of 2025.
Bearman and Bortoleto may lack big points hauls, but both have held their own impressively against vastly more experienced teammates, showing promising pace and racecraft as they settle into their first full F1 seasons.
Meanwhile, Lawson’s stock has taken a hit following a brief and challenging Red Bull stint, and Alpine’s rookie seat remains unsettled after Doohan’s midseason replacement by Colapinto failed to yield a clear performance edge.
But with 10 races still to run, the story of the 2025 rookies is far from over.