F1 rookies separated by razor-thin margins in prestigious contest

The 2025 F1 season saw a stacked rookie class, with six full-time rookies starting the campaign and a slightly revised six ending the term.

Six was also the number of rounds it took before Alpine switched out Jack Doohan for Franco Colapinto, who has retained his Alpine seat alongside Pierre Gasly for 2026.

Whilst Liam Lawson already had 11 grands prix-worth of experience under his belt, he was still considered a rookie, as was Colapinto, who spent nine rounds with Williams in 2024.

Whether the Argentine, who has yet to start an F1 season, will be considered a rookie next year is an interesting point of contention, given his 27 rounds of experience (well over a whole campaign).

However, of the six rookies who ended the 2025 F1 season, which one has taken the crown bestowed upon the rookie of the year using the RacingNews365 driver rankings for the campaign?

1st - Isack Hadjar - 6.7

Highest score - 10 - in the Netherlands

Lowest score - 4 - in Austria

Isack Hadjar's F1 season could not have started worse. Crashing on the formation lap in Melbourne means he technically did not make his debut until the Chinese Grand Prix. However, after the misery he experienced at Albert Park, he strung together a superb season, one that ultimately earned him his promotion to Red Bull. A maiden podium at Zandvoort was a fitting high point.

2nd - Oliver Bearman - 6.6

Highest score - 10 - in Mexico City 

Lowest score - 4 - in Australia, Emilia Romagna

Oliver Bearman proved his natural pace from the first round (his fourth in F1). However, his approach lacked consistency and maturity. Racking up a worrying number of FIA super licence points means he heads into 2026 at risk of a ban; his crash in the pit lane at Silverstone under red flag conditions was an undeniable low. That said, outscoring Esteban Ocon was impressive, and he was utterly sublime en route to fourth place in Mexico City, which was followed up with sixth in Sao Paulo.

3rd - Kimi Antonelli - 6.5

Highest score - 9.5 - in Sao Paulo

Lowest score - 3 - in Monaco

Kimi Antonelli's season was a near-perfect U-shaped curve. He started strong, with a brilliant drive from P16 to fourth in the campaign-opening Australian Grand Prix. But when the paddock reached Europe, his form fell away. The reasons for that have been well documented, but the Mercedes driver was nonetheless able to seal his first podium of three during that torrid run. Whilst consistently a few tenths off the pace of George Russell, he beat his experienced team-mate on outright performance in Sao Paulo, taking two impressive second places.

4th - Liam Lawson - 5.8

Highest score - 9.5 - in Austria 

Lowest score - 1.5 - in China

After two brutal and bruising rounds in Melbourne and Shanghai, Lawson was sent back to Racing Bulls. It might just have saved his F1 career. It took him a few rounds to become reacquainted with his surroundings and match Hadjar in the other VCARB 02, but the New Zealander finished the year only 13 points behind his highly-touted former team-mate. He has messy, low points, like in Singapore, but his fifth place in Baku was the other side of the coin. And consistent improvement saw him beat Yuki Tsunoda to survival.

5th - Gabriel Bortoleto - 5.6

Highest score - 9 - in Austria, Hungary, Italy 

Lowest score - 3 - in Sao Paulo, and Las Vegas

Gabriel Bortoleto had a good rookie season, make no mistake, but it was only enough for fifth on this list. He built into his campaign in a considered fashion, before putting together a run of four points-scoring results in six rounds over the summer. By that point, he was outperforming Nico Hulkenberg in the other Stake over one lap, ending the year tied in their qualifying head-to-head. There were numerous mistakes, like his crashes at Silverstone and in front of his home crowd in Brazil, but it is a solid foundation to develop from in his second campaign.

6th - Franco Colapinto - 4.3

Highest score - 7 - in Canada 

Lowest score - 3 - at Imola, in Spain, Austria, and Britain

Colapinto struggled to find his feet at Alpine after replacing Doohan for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. That underwhelming form continued into the second half of the year. However, the 22-year-old was able to close the gap to the well-regarded Gasly, earning him a contract extension for 2026. Whilst he was unable to score points across the campaign, he is well placed to take advantage of his first off-season in 2026 — and Mercedes power.