A new documentary produced by Formula 1 dubbed ‘Rookies’ has allowed viewers to gain extra insight into the series’ newest drivers.
After 2024 saw the same 20 drivers carried over from the year before in the same seats for the first time in F1 series history, 2025 has seen a dramatic swing back in the opposite direction and this new documentary on F1TV celebrates just that.
Produced and directed by Rory Child, ‘Rookies’ is a 50-minute documentary taking audiences behind the scenes to learn more about F1’s five newbies joining the 2025 grid.
The young men in question are Haas’ Oliver Bearman, Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Alpine’s Jack Doohan, Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto and Racing Bulls‘ Isack Hadjar.
Child guides the viewer through the experiences of each rookie throughout 2024, the pivotal year for all five of F1s newcomers and a series of talking heads including renowned commentator Alex Jacques and F2 & F3 CEO Bruno Michel compliment on-track footage and interviews with the five drivers themselves.
The doc opens with Jacques in voice-over, saying “A new generation is about to burst onto the Formula 1 scene,” before introducing our rookies in a series of action shots and interview snippets, interspersed with commentary from the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Toto Wolff and George Russell in a glitzy introduction.
Throughout, Jacques plays a familiar role in the documentary, one which Will Buxton performs in Netflix’s Drive to Survive, navigating the novice viewer through the intricacies of the single-seater pyramid.
Michel then hails the recent impact of F1 teams operating driver academies in junior formula and it is at this point we are introduced to the first of our five rookies: Bearman.
Here the framework for the doc is laid out, repeated with the remaining four rookies.
We see the stories of how the rookies landed their F1 promotions, and what motivates them, but more importantly, we learn a bit more about their character from those around them.
Bearman performs best under pressure
So, what did we learn about Bearman?
Perhaps the best man to comment on Haas’ latest acquisition is his father David, who says “Whenever Ollie has been given that moment and when it has been time to perform, he’s stepped up. He’s stepped up every time and that’s incredible to watch.”
Bearman had to step during Round 2 of the 2024 F1 season to replace appendicitis-suffering Carlos Sainz at Ferrari in Jeddah and he was able to jump in at the 11th hour and score points in seventh place.
“I always found with Ollie if you put him under pressure he performs even better,” says his father.
Bearman acknowledged that the race in Jeddah “changed his life,” with F2 CEO Michel adding it “helped” open the door for more rookies to get their opportunities.
‘Fierce’ Antonelli is the long-term future for Mercedes
18-year-old Antonelli was another of the most talked about names last year in F2, having bypassed F3 to make his debut in the series.
The hype around the young Italian is now reaching an astronomical level as Hamilton’s replacement at Mercedes.
Antonelli has long been a part of the Mercedes family, with Driver Development Advisor Gwen Lagrue pointing out he scouted the young Italian when he was just 11 years old, noting“He was already quite special” at that stage.
As the man who identified his talent, Lagrue is a great candidate to explain why Antonelli is so highly regarded.
Mercedes Team Principal Wolff says in the documentary “We expect difficult moments. With Kimi, we can see because of his upbringing, his background, his family, also being a part of our family for a long time he’s fierce.”
A crash during his FP1 debut with Mercedes at Monza perhaps characterised the ferocity Wolff credits Antonelli with possessing.
“There’s no doubt he has the talent, the ability, the skills and now it’s about allowing him the space to grow up within this crazy, tough, ruthless environment,” adds Wolff.
What is clear is that Mercedes and Antonelli aim to be together for the long haul with the Italian calling Wolff a “second dad to me” and the Austrian saying “we will protect him, we will allow him to grow. Kimi is the long-term future of the team.”
Doohan is driven to succeed
Doohan is unique among the five rookies in two ways.
First, he is the only one who didn’t have a full-time racing programme in 2024, instead acting as Alpine’s reserve driver.
Second, he is the only one who can call five-time MotoGP champion Mick Doohan his father.
“It’s very rewarding to see him [succeed] because he’s the one who asked me if he won another championship in Australia if I’d take him to Europe go-karting,” says Doohan senior.
“He was the one who wanted to do that and then it has been a ride from there and the drive and the determination that he’s had. So to see it actually pay off is so rewarding as a father.
“I know that he’s fully immersed himself into the team, into the sim work, he’s been doing plenty of mileage in the older cars so he’s embraced that and I think that’s the thing he knows if he wanted to go to the next level he needs to put in that groundwork.
“I’m not just saying that as a father, I’m saying that as someone who’s had that mindset himself and I can see it in Jack. Sure I’ve given him some guidance but he’s got that drive and dedication himself.”
Bortoleto has the ‘soft skills to succeed in F1
Bortoleto graduates to F1 in the exclusive club of drivers to win the Formula 3 and Formula 2 championships in consecutive rookie seasons.
That granted the former McLaren junior the chance to sign with Sauber on a multi-year deal that will see the young Brazilian race under the banner of Audi in his sophomore season next year.
His story in the documentary begins with the stunning last-to-first victory at Monza, which helped catapult him into title contention.
It’s also a race that made Sauber Chief Operating and Chief Technical Officer Mattia Binotto take notice.
“It’s that the type of drive that makes you convinced that the talent and the potential are there,” the Sauber boss says, interspersed with footage of Bortoleto celebrating on the Monza podium.
“I’m so happy that he chose us,” adds Binotto.
“He was so enthusiastic about the Audi F1 project because it’s really starting from zero and I think that’s exactly the right mindset I was looking for.
“He impressed me the way he was driving, but he impressed me more as a person. What will be in F1 we will see but I think he’s got all the soft skills that are required to be a champion in the future.”
Hadjar delivers when called upon
Hadjar’s 2024 season was unlike his fellow F2 competitors as the reality that he might secure a drive in F1 was only realised post-season.
An agonising end to his title fight with Bortoleto ended with a stall at the start of the final race and that wasn’t the only moment of strife that Hadjar had to overcome in 2024.
The Red Bull junior lost the feature race win in Monaco thanks to a late Virtual Safety Car handing Zak O’Sullivan a free pitstop.
One points finish from the first five races also characterised the hurdles Hadjar had to overcome as he sought to recover from an underwhelming rookie F2 season in 2023.
Someone who knows Hadjar better than most, and what it takes to succeed at the very top of the sport is Guillaume ‘Rocky’ Rocquelin, Head of the Driver Academy at Red Bull and the man who made the iconic “Du Best Weltmeister” radio call as Sebastian Vettel won his first world title in 2010.
With his future on the line, an F2 title at stake and the glimmer of hope he’d get a shot at F1, Rocky says Hadjar “He handled the pressure very well and I think to be honest, surprisingly, the pressure was more the previous year [2023] in his rookie campaign in F2.
“I think he had a very tough introduction to F2, he struggled quite a lot, the results weren’t what he was used to, and the pace wasn’t there. So there was a lot of question marks and I think he thought his career was over then.
“He entered this season with a lot more belief, a lot more confidence and I think while the pressure was there because the results were required, the pressure put on himself was less than the previous year because he had so much more confidence.
“When called upon, he really delivered and did very well so there’s not much I can criticise from his performance,” he concludes.
Red Bull told Hadjar that 2024 was his last chance to prove himself and he did just that, earning his spot on the 2025 grid alongside his four fellow rookies.
The quintet, based on the appraisals of those closest to them, all look set to make their mark on F1.
READ MORE – F1 releases behind the scenes documentary on 2025 rookies
