The six F1 drivers starting a first full season

Formula One will have a bumper crop of rookies this season, with six of the 20 drivers on the grid in Melbourne starting their first full season even if only three of them are race debutants.

The following looks at their individual prospects:

Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)

Mercedes F1 driver Kimi Antonelli. Photo: PHOTOPSORT

The 18-year-old is Italy's first F1 driver since Antonio Giovinazzi in 2021 and replaces seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton in the team lineup. Those are massive shoes to fill for someone who only passed his driving test in January but Antonelli made a good start in testing, going fastest in the first session in Bahrain and making no mistakes. Mercedes are protective of him but also confident he is the real deal. "Kimi absolutely has the speed. He's proven that in all of his categories," says teammate George Russell.

Oliver Bearman (Haas)

Oliver Bearman of Great Britain and Haas F1 Team Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Ferrari Academy driver Bearman, 19, has already started three races, making a stunning debut with seventh place for Ferrari in Saudi Arabia last year when Carlos Sainz had appendicitis. That made the tall Briton, at 18, the youngest F1 rookie to race for Ferrari. He then filled in twice at Haas for Kevin Magnussen, scoring a further point in Azerbaijan. Team boss Ayao Komatsu rates the Briton very highly but experienced teammate Frenchman Esteban Ocon, who has joined from Alpine, will be the measure of his speed.

Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)

Kick Sauber's Brazilian driver Gabriel Bortoleto Photo: AFP

Bortoleto, 20, is the reigning F2 champion and will be the first Brazilian fulltime F1 driver since Felipe Massa retired in 2017. From Sao Paulo, he is a protege of Spain's double world champion Fernando Alonso and will now be racing his manager. Bortoleto was previously a McLaren young driver and also won the F3 title as a rookie in 2023. Last year he became the first driver to win an F2 feature race from last position. Sauber finished last overall in 2024 and are likely to remain there before becoming the Audi works team in 2026.

Jack Doohan (Alpine)

Alpine's Australian driver Jack Doohan. Photo: AFP

The 22-year-old is the son of five-times motorcycle world champion Mick and won national titles in karting. He was runner-up in F3 in 2021 and third in F2 in 2023. He spent last year as Alpine reserve, making a race debut in Abu Dhabi last December as replacement for Esteban Ocon. How long he stays in the seat remains to be seen, with Argentine Franco Colapinto waiting for his chance and a clear threat.

Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)

RB's French-Algerian driver Isack Hadjar. Photo: AFP

Hadjar, 20, was runner-up to Bortoleto in F2 last season and has already been dubbed 'Le Petit Prost' by Red Bull's Helmut Marko, after four-times world champion compatriot Alain Prost. He replaces Liam Lawson, who has moved to Red Bull, as teammate to Yuki Tsunoda. Hadjar is of Algerian descent and has dual nationality. His father, Yassine, has a PhD in quantum physics. Hadjar is quick and will impress if he can beat Tsunoda.

Liam Lawson (Red Bull)

New Zealand driver Liam Lawson. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Lawson, 23, is the oldest and most experienced of the rookies and has already started 11 races and scored six points. The New Zealander debuted at the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix when Daniel Ricciardo injured his hand, racing five times that year. He replaced the dropped Ricciardo from Austin onwards last year and was promoted to Red Bull when Sergio Perez lost his seat. He sees this year as a learning one and his job is to help Max Verstappen win a fifth title and the team regain the constructors' crown by scoring regular points.

-Reuters