Fans will have to prepare for some new faces in the 2025 Formula 1 season. Up to five “freshmen” could compete in the premier class for their first full year. Fernando Alonso already knows who will be the best of them.
The burgeoning youth trend in Formula 1 will continue in the 2025 season. Young drivers like Kimi Antonelli (18/Mercedes), Oliver Bearman (19/Haas), Jack Doohan (21/Alpine) and Gabriel Bortoleto (20/Sauber) will complete their first full season in the premier class next year and will be able to show what they can do.
If Fernando Alonso has his way, one young driver has significantly more ability than the others: Gabriel Bortoleto. “He’s the best,” said the Spaniard in Abu Dhabi about the young Brazilian, who will be Nico Hülkenberg’s team-mate at Sauber/Audi in the future.
Alonso: Bortoleto becomes best Formula 1 rookie
“He became champion in Formula 3 in his rookie season. He became champion in Formula 2 in his rookie season. I know there is a lot of talk about the young generation and all the rookies are very talented, but the best of them is Gabriel,” enthused the two-time world champion about the 20-year-old.
However, Alonso’s big words don’t come as a complete surprise. Although Bortoleto has achieved the successes mentioned by the Spaniard, there is also a connection between the two off the track: the Brazilian is under contract with Alonso’s management company.
For this reason too, the Aston Martin driver warned the public against making too quick a judgment. “Next year he won’t be in the same car as the other rookies, but I hope people don’t forget that he is better than them. He was and he will be,” Alonso insisted.