F1 2025: Driver line-ups, rookies analysed by Anthony Davidson forward of Australian Grand Prix

The System 1 area has undergone a drastic change for 2025 with 10 drivers racing for brand new groups, not least Lewis Hamilton switching to Ferrari.

Hamilton’s arrival at Ferrari is arguably the largest driver switch in F1 historical past as he replaces Carlos Sainz, who has joined Williams.

Changing Hamilton at Mercedes is 18-year-old Italian Kimi Antonelli, one among six drivers making their full season debut, with Liam Lawson turning into Max Verstappen’s team-mate at Pink Bull in one other intriguing transfer.

Haas’ Oliver Bearman, Alpine’s Jack Doohan, Racing Bull’s Isack Hadjar and Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto are the opposite rookies on the grid. Elsewhere, Esteban Ocon has changed Nico Hulkenberg at Haas, with the latter becoming a member of Sauber.

With so many modifications, we spoke to Sky Sports activities F1‘s Anthony Davidson to offer his skilled evaluation on every driver line-up.

McLaren: Inter-team rigidity to rise?

I really like this driver line-up. It is younger, it is contemporary and with that brings dedicated, spirited driving. It usually brings just a few downsides, like we noticed final 12 months, just a few sticky moments between Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

However the group have nearly acquired on prime of that now. You can see the shock in fairly a younger group final 12 months. It is an issue however a pleasant downside to have.

Naturally nice drivers arrive at an excellent group and I feel this 12 months you possibly can be seeing just a few extra moments come up the place, if they’re in probably the most aggressive automotive and there is a little bit of a niche between them and others, we all know that they run one another arduous and it all of the sudden turns into rather more private in that intra-team battle between the drivers. That is undoubtedly one to look at.

When push involves shove Piastri has this in-built, steely confidence. Lando it appears has to persuade himself a bit extra however is an distinctive driver and is coming into the height of the place he’ll get to as a racing driver and he is my tip to grow to be world champion this 12 months. This would be the 12 months Lando comes of age and is the motive force to beat.

Ferrari: Fireworks from Hamilton

I nonetheless cannot get used to seeing Lewis Hamilton in crimson, it appears so unusual in any case these years! His arrival at Ferrari is large information. It is headline-grabbing content material. No matter they do, that mixture of Hamilton and Ferrari is stuff that goals are product of.

That electrical energy Charles Leclerc brings to any racetrack is so thrilling to look at. I feel it’s going to rejuvenate Lewis and that is what he wanted. He is the kind of driver that may reinvent himself from one 12 months to the following and this complete change of atmosphere and tradition will play to these strengths.

I do anticipate some some fireworks from Lewis this 12 months. Despite the fact that, at some factors within the final couple of years at Mercedes, it appeared prefer it stagnated a bit, he was only a bit subdued, however I feel this may very well be that rejuvenation he is in search of.

If, or when, he does ship, it’s going to clearly be so good for himself and the group, but additionally for the game as a result of Hamilton at Ferrari is international, headline-grabbing stuff.

Pink Bull: Lawson’s make-or-break 12 months

Liam Lawson‘s temporary is straightforward. If I used to be group boss there, I’d be in search of Liam to bag extra factors that Sergio Perez did from midway by means of final 12 months to the tip of the 12 months. However possibly the group need extra, possibly the followers need extra and to see Max Verstappen challenged however that is a tall order for those who’re going up in opposition to the most effective within the enterprise proper now.

As issues get harder with the closing competitors, you may see Max get much more out of himself in these moments and subsequently the goalposts transfer much more for somebody like Liam.

Liam is aware of that is make or break. Your profession’s come up to now the place you are on this plateau, it is now time to ship and for those who do, you are going to be in F1 for a very long time, however I am positive he is totally conscious that many have tried and plenty of have failed, alongside Max.

We have now seen some nice drivers get mentally destroyed. As intimidating as that’s, you at the very least have the information of this risk.

With solely 11 Grands Prix below his belt, this will probably be powerful for Liam. I am excited to see how he does as a result of I feel he is nice. He is acquired resilience and I hope he handles himself effectively.

As for Max, he’ll simply hope he has a automotive that provides him half an opportunity. I am positive we’ll see extra brilliance and extra moments the place it is near the sting, or over the restrict as he continues to battle in true Max Verstappen ruthless type. He all the time will get probably the most out of the automotive.

Mercedes: Russell must show he’s chief

You may’t simply assume you are group chief and that is what George Russell has to do that 12 months. He has to cement that place and persuade everybody within the group, and us, that he’s a group chief. He has to realize that by means of outcomes and the way he performs, how he handles himself throughout the group, which I am positive he can do.

We noticed some nice maturity final 12 months with how he dealt with the Verstappen state of affairs. He is a director of the GPDA [Grand Prix Drivers’ Association] and I feel that provides him nice expertise of the way to deal with himself and exhibits the persona he’s as effectively.

He is a superb team-mate for Kimi Antonelli to have. George is among the quickest qualifiers F1 has ever seen. He actually can maximise the automotive’s potential on a Saturday and with the assistance of Lewis being alongside him for all these years, he is realized a lot and absorbed a lot expertise from Lewis’ potential and the way he can put a race collectively, how he can learn a race and skim the tyres.

That larger image comes with expertise and he is had that luxurious of working with the most effective on the planet so it is it is teed up for him and now it is time to fly.

With Kimi, he is massively thrilling and has an enormous aura round him. There’s nice expectations however he’s mature sufficient at that age, much like Max, and appears able to take care of it. He is a cool buyer and is aware of what he has to do. He is been effectively groomed for this present day and it is his time to shine.

He is one of many fascinations of this season for me. I am unable to wait to see how he goes and he steadily improves because the season goes on and he can finally, constantly problem George, and possibly on his day beat him.

Aston Martin: Alonso stays a sensible head

Fernando Alonso has a sensible head on his shoulders and, if given the possibility, he’ll seize the chance. He is a very good team-mate for Lance Stroll and he generally is a good group participant.

You get the sensation that he is nearly taken Lance below his wing. He is intelligent sufficient to know if he helps the boss’ son, it retains him in a very good place within the group and I love that.

Hopefully they’ve an honest automotive this 12 months, extra prefer it was two years in the past. They’ve Andy Cowell there now, who I am a giant fan of and hopefully he can provide the group a resurgence.

As soon as Adrian Newey begins to proactively work on the automotive, hopefully he can unlock just a few fast positive factors however I am positive his fundamental focus will probably be on 2026. It is going to in all probability flip right into a 12 months of treading water for Aston Martin.

Alpine: Instant strain on Doohan

An enormous query looms right away with Alpine. Everybody’s speaking about when Jack Doohan goes to get replaced earlier than he is even pushed his first race of the season, which is a bit unfair. You get the sensation like he is instantly driving for his seat, which is large strain and it isn’t what any rookie coming into F1 deserves.

Franco Colapinto is hanging round with appreciable backing, so Doohan has to cement his place within the group for at the very least the primary few races, bag as many factors as he can, be as near Pierre Gasly as he can. He has to make himself irreplaceable.

He would not have the bedding-in interval that a lot of different drivers can have of their rookie season. He would not have that luxurious however in some ways possibly it boosts him, pushes him on delivering extra, probably than what he in any other case would have if he was given extra time.

With Gasly, the connection will work effectively, hopefully extra harmonious than when Ocon was there. Gasly’s a stable driver, carried out very well, some stand-out races final 12 months. He’ll he convey the factors dwelling when there’s alternatives, like we noticed in Brazil.

Haas: Bearman has likelihood to impress Ferrari

It is nice for Oliver Bearman that he is aware of the group already. He has raced with the group they usually know that he is sizzling property as a result of he is Ferrari backed as effectively.

He will probably be maintaining one eye on what is going on on on the crimson group as effectively as a result of he may be fancying his possibilities for additional into the longer term.

Clearly Lewis Hamilton, at 40, cannot be there eternally so you are feeling Bearman has to play his playing cards effectively. He is in a chief place for probably someday sporting the crimson go well with, so this can be a actually essential 12 months for him, or years.

What an excellent yardstick to have in Esteban Ocon, who’s rated as a driver, he is feisty. For those who can beat Ocon frequently then then that is a very good achievement and it places you in a extremely good place for the longer term with Ferrari.

Racing Bulls: Tsunoda turning into a quick, dependable driver

With Yuki Tsunoda coming into his fifth season at Racing Bulls, as pissed off as he have to be to not be alongside Max Verstappen proper now, I feel he is aware of the the explanation why. It is his relationship with Honda that everyone knows exists and with that he should subsequently be eyeing Aston Martin for 2026, after they have Honda engines.

This 12 months is essential for Yuki, not for the group he is at the moment in, however for Aston Martin and I do know drivers may be signed on longer-term offers however issues can and possibly will change.

I am intrigued to see how this season goes for Yuki and, for me, he is turning into a extremely stable, dependable, quick racing driver that I noticed in F2 all these years in the past. There have been some pure dips alongside the way in which. It jogs my memory fairly a little bit of Felipe Massa’s profession the place there have been just a few crashes early however had an underlying pace. However as soon as Massa matured, he nearly grew to become world champion.

I see a similarity with Yuki in some ways; some folks wrote him off in 12 months one. He is a showcase that, with time, some drivers can come into fruition.

Isack Hadjar had a troublesome 12 months in F2. It did not utterly go to plan however he is right here as an F1 driver and has a possibility with the highlight on him. It is a high-pressure atmosphere and solely the strongest survive, so will he be one among them?

Williams: Sainz to energise group

I really like this driver line-up. It is implausible. Each drivers are deserving of a seat that can provide them extra efficiency and I feel the group are conscious of that.

They’ve put themselves below that strain to ship for his or her drivers and Carlos Sainz‘s arrival goes to convey that additional power and additional push, having been racing on the sharp finish.

It is good that Alex Albon will will probably be pushed very arduous. Hopefully he’ll elevate himself to a different stage however there all the time comes a danger you can implode a bit.

We noticed it a bit with Colapinto and the pace he had at instances within the ultimate a part of final season. Albon made errors that weren’t there earlier within the 12 months however I’ve acquired each religion that Alex can take the struggle to Carlos and collectively, they Williams in a significantly better place in comparison with the final couple of years with two seasoned professionals. That is undoubtedly one to look at.

Sauber: Bortoleto in a pleasant atmosphere for a rookie

They’ve a extremely good line-up. Nico Hulkenberg is a recognized amount and a stable driver. He is nonetheless ready for that elusive podium. I am not satisfied it’s going to occur on this atmosphere but when he continues to be affected person, larger and higher issues await for him.

For Gabriel Bortoleto, this can be a good atmosphere for a rookie. You could have a very nice atmosphere to start out with. You could have a well-experienced and revered team-mate and also you’re additionally out of the highlight.

He’ll extra doubtless be nearer to the backend of the sphere, so like Russell at Williams, you study the methods of the commerce with out the world’s eyes on you and that makes a giant distinction. I feel he has the flexibility and confidence to construct on these abilities. He is in a a lot nicer place in comparison with different rookies on the grid.

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