Aussie Doohan part of biggest F1 youth intake in years

AUSTRALIAN JACK DOOHAN IS JUST ONE OF A GROUP OF YOUNG DRIVERS HOPING TO HIT THEIR MARK IN FORMULA ONE THIS SEASON:-

JACK DOOHAN:

The son of legendary motorcycle world champion Mick Doohan enters 2025 with his Formula One career under threat as soon as it has begun. Alpine's decision to sign ex-Williams driver Franco Colapinto as a reserve means a would-be replacement is available if Doohan doesn't impress team management. "You're always going to have pressure on your shoulders because you're in such a cut-throat sport," Doohan said. The Australian driver placed third in F2 in 2023 but didn't race at all last year until a surprise entry for the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Finishing 15th, he was far off the pace of teammate Pierre Gasly in seventh.

ANDREA KIMI ANTONELLI:

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, an 18-year-old Italian, is Lewis Hamilton's successor at Mercedes. Stepping into a seven-time champion's shoes at Mercedes puts the spotlight on Antonelli, who is set to become the third-youngest F1 driver ever. The Italian wants to be known as just "the next Mercedes driver" because of Hamilton's legacy. The first time Antonelli visited an F1 paddock was age eight in 2014 when his father Marco, who ran a team in a support series, hid him in a stack of tyres under an umbrella to get past security and into the German Grand Prix. "That was a really cool experience," he said last month. Antonelli had a stellar record in junior series and was sixth in F2 last year but a heavy crash in practice for Mercedes at Monza in August was a tough introduction to F1.

LIAM LAWSON:

The Red Bull driver is the odd man out in this list because he's taken part in 11 F1 races since 2023, though never a full season. He says he'll feel "more like a rookie" at the start of the season on tracks he hasn't raced before. Partnering four-time champion Max Verstappen as the replacement for Sergio Perez is a daunting task for Lawson, who knocked Verstappen out of qualifying in only his third F1 race in Singapore in 2023. The New Zealander needs to justify Red Bull's decision to elevate him over his 2024 teammate - and former roommate - Yuki Tsunoda, who outperformed Lawson over their six races together last year.

OLIVER BEARMAN:

It's less than a year since Bearman burst onto the scene in F1 with a combative seventh-place finish for Ferrari in Saudi Arabia while Carlos Sainz Jr. was sidelined because of surgery. He'd never previously raced in Jeddah and was racing with two days' notice. Bearman beat experienced teammate Nico Hülkenberg in two races for Haas later that year and is now a full-time Haas driver for 2025. Bearman remains part of Ferrari's junior program but displacing regular Ferrari drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc is unlikely any time soon.

ISACK HADJAR:

Lawson's promotion to Red Bull left an opening at their second team, now rebranded Racing Bulls, for F2 runner-up Hadjar. The French driver arrives at a team with a history of changing drivers mid-season if they don't perform. Even Australia's eight-time Grand Prix winner Daniel Ricciardo didn't last a full year there in 2024.

GABRIEL BORTOLETO:

Despite winning the F2 title last season, beating Hadjar, Antonelli and Bearman, Bortoleto's arrival in F1 has been overshadowed by his former rivals. That's partly because his new team Sauber struggled last year and is marking time before a full rebrand as the Audi works team in 2026. With a helmet design paying tribute to three-time champion Ayrton Senna, Bortoleto is F1's first full-time Brazilian driver since 2017.