With F1 2025 deep into the summer break, it is time to take stock of how the future stars are progressing in their road to Formula 1.

As many categories on the F1 ladder reach crunch time, some clear winners have emerged, while other drivers need to up their game to keep their F1 dream alive.

2025 junior winners and losers
Winner: Rafael Câmara

Let’s kick things off with Ferrari’s history maker, Rafael Câmara.

The 20-year-old Brazilian’s impressive rise up the racing ranks has continued in 2025. He will go into the final Formula 3 round at Monza as champion-elect, the first time in F3 history that a driver has realised that achievement.

With the Formula Regional European and F3 titles bagged in back-to-back seasons, Câmara will have the Formula 2 title on his agenda next season. It is looking like only a matter of time before this Ferrari junior becomes a Formula 1 star.

Loser: Arvid Lindblad

Perhaps a harsh addition to the 2025 junior losers list on first glance. Red Bull protégé Arvid Lindblad has claimed two race wins in a good rookie F2 campaign. But, it is looking like another year where a title challenge is at risk of fizzling out.

There has been plenty of chatter around Red Bull’s ‘next Max’, who received his Super Licence at 17 under FIA dispensation. He set himself up to be right in the thick of the F2 title battle, embarking on a run of 10 points finishes, which included a sprint and feature race win.

But, just as the title challenge looked on, Lindblad was restricted to two points-scoring outings out of eight.

Sure, the loss of second in Spa due to a technical infringement on his Campos was unfortunate, and costly.

Lindblad has been left with a gap of 62 points to championship leader Leonardo Fornaroli to address, with four rounds to go. Lindblad has also fallen behind Campos team-mate Pepe Marti – also a Red Bull junior – in the standings.

Lindblad was not able to secure the Italian F4 crown from a commanding position a few years back. His F3 title push faded at the crucial point. He can get the job done, he won the 2025 Formula Regional Oceania championship, but he has a mountain to climb if he wants to reach the F2 summit this year.

Winner: Leonardo Fornaroli

‘Mr. Consistent’ is at it again in 2025. Zero wins, but relentless points scoring took Fornaroli to the 2024 F3 crown. The human metronome has thrown a few wins into the mix this year to hit the front of the F2 standings.

His Invicta boss, James Robinson, is flabbergasted that the Italian remains without Formula 1 ties. He is becoming increasingly hard to ignore for a role somewhere in F1 2026.

Loser: Victor Martins

After a couple of unsuccessful attempts at the F2 crown since becoming F3 champion, Victor Martins parted ways with Alpine before the 2025 season. He kept his F1 affiliation alive by joining the Williams academy.

But, despite this being his third full F2 season, still with ART, Martins is down in tenth in the current standings.

Chasing his first win of the year, this is not the campaign which Martins had in mind.

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Winner: Freddie Slater

In 2024, British prospect Freddie Slater achieved record-breaking success, and the momentum has kept on rolling this year.

Slater romped to the 2024 Italian F4 title, winning 15 of the 20 races. That beat the record set by Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli. Having graduated to Formula Regional, Slater finished runner-up in the Middle East category and leads the European Championship, with five wins.

He has even been dabbling part-time in F3 where he has been mixing it up with the frontrunners. Slater made the Bahrain sprint podium on debut and set the fastest lap. This 17-year-old is one to watch.

Loser: Gabriele Minì

Speaking of Formula 3, the last year’s runner-up was Gabriele Minì. The transition to Formula 2 has been challenging for the Alpine prospect.

Minì sits twelfth in the standings, with just 35 points on the board.

There is a potential opening in the Alpine F1 2026 driver line-up, but to date Minì has not done enough to force himself into that conversation.

Winner: Kean Nakamura-Berta

Italian F4 life was tough for Kean Nakamura-Berta in a championship dominated by Freddie Slater. He no longer has his Alpine ties, but that has not floored the Japanese-Slovakian teenager, born in London. Far from it.

A seven-time race winner in 2025 Italian F4, Nakamura-Berta leads the championship by 55 points from Brazil’s Gabriel Gomez with six races to go. It has been a year of career rejuvenation for Nakamura-Berta.

Loser: Oliver Goethe

The same sadly cannot be said for Red Bull-backed Oliver Goethe.

Red Bull’s no-nonsense driver programme boss Helmut Marko wanted to see a more serious side to the German this year, but if that has been unlocked, it is not reflecting positively on the track.

Goethe has registered only 23 points. It may be his first full F2 season, but Red Bull expect performance. The pressure is on.

Winner: Alex Dunne

A rough campaign in Formula 3 last year saw the Irishman fly under the radar heading into his first F2 season this year.

Winner of the 2022 F4 British Championship, and a race winner in Italian F4 that same year, and similar success in GB3 a year later, suggested his F3 experience was out of the norm.

That has proved true this year, joining Rodin Motorsport to chalk up two feature races already. While he led the championship for a time, he’s slipped to fifth in the standings.

But, his efforts thus far have seen him muscle his way into the F1 silly season conversation amid links to Cadillac and Alpine. Thought to be an outsider for a race seat next year, Dunne is nonetheless one to keep an eye on.

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