At the break of dawn, the first F1 weekend in Melbourne concluded with a masterful comeback from Kimi Antonelli, but how did the other rookies fare?
Melbourne, 2025 – Achieving a dream is never a straightforward journey but a combination of opportunities, sacrifices, and challenges that are turned into lessons from which one can learn the most to discover their limits; it’s the sum of the intrinsic ability to go beyond the fear of failure and the ability to translate worry—keeping eyes wide open and a mind full of thoughts during sleepless nights—into determination, into a fire forged by passion that doesn’t consider any obstacles.
The dream of racing in Formula 1 is no different, where every driver has been a rookie, a newcomer in their first season, carrying with them a baggage full of dreams, victories, fears, but also the awareness of needing to maximize every opportunity to secure a future. A pressure that can make a driver a world champion or destroy a raw talent.
The goal is always the same: start with karting and eventually occupy one of the few seats in the championship where the fastest single-seaters in the world race, sacrificing what could be considered a normal childhood. A dream that calls not only young talents, rough diamonds, and blank slates who still have much to learn, but also parents who often make the greatest sacrifices to allow their children to fulfill their dream.
During the 75th edition of the premier series championship, this will be the story of Isack Hadjar in Visa CashApp Racing Bulls, Gabriel Bortoleto in Sauber, Andrea Kimi Antonelli in Mercedes, Ollie Bearman in Haas F1 Team, Liam Lawson—heir to the seat that only a few months ago belonged to Sergio Perez—and Jack Doohan in Alpine, where Flavio Briatore’s keen eye will scrutinize every move of the Australian with the sole aim of bringing the Estone team back to where it once belonged to Renault.
Albert Park Circuit, 2025 Australian Grand Prix
At the start of the week, the arrival in Melbourne was filled with positive expectations for the first race weekend of the year; the statements from the new protagonists remained balanced but never negative. The rain, however, spoiled the plans of the young recruits, hitting the Albert Park circuit—a challenge that none had anticipated, and which caused most of the new talents to pay the price for their inexperience.
Isack Hadjar, a new arrival at the Faenza team, was the first of the six to go off track during the formation lap of the Australian Grand Prix. A debut that didn’t tell the story the young Frenchman wanted to share, as he got out of his car with his head down to hide the feelings and thoughts filling his mind at that moment, perhaps even with a bit of fear for his future, knowing the past management of Red Bull’s satellite team.
Meanwhile, in another part of the paddock, inside the Ferrari pit with his son, Anthony Hamilton was witnessing the episode that would lead to the first Grand Prix of the year having a second formation lap. As they awaited the restart, the Briton, fully aware of the cruelty and pressure of the paddock, reached the 2004 driver—who had never hidden his deep admiration for Lewis—to embrace him.
“The moment I saw what happened to Isak, my heart went out to him, I immediately felt empathy for him. It was really sad to watch, ” said dad Hamilton. “I know how tough it is for these guys who start at 8 years old with the dream of becoming F1 drivers. There’s so much pressure throughout the whole journey. I just wanted to give him a hug; I acted as a father. “.
This gesture explains that visceral feeling that goes beyond the competition between the world’s fastest cars, showing the human side of motorsport. It’s a gesture that Anthony must have repeated hundreds of times throughout his son’s career, now seven-time world champion, always by his side, supporting him in the dream of reaching Formula 1.
The embrace between Lewis’ dad and Isack Hadjar is more than just support; it’s filled with the awareness of the sacrifices and passion that come with being part of the premier series—a recognition of the cost paid to be there.
Gabriel Bortoleto’s weekend with Sauber wasn’t much better. The Brazilian driver brought to the track the flag that inevitably evokes memories of Ayrton Senna, nine years after the last Brazilian to race with the team, Felipe Nasr. In qualifying, the reigning Formula 2 champion achieved a good result, managing to eliminate Kimi Antonelli in Q1 and advance to the next stage. However, the race had a different outcome, with a collision with Liam Lawson that forced both to retire. During the early laps, Jack Doohan also hit the wall.
However, Ollie Bearman had the toughest weekend, racing this year as an official driver for Haas F1 Team, no longer as a reserve. The British driver’s past experiences weren’t enough to avoid a complicated weekend, starting with two crashes in the first and third free practice sessions and culminating in a disappointing last-place finish in the race. To make matters worse, during qualifying, gearbox issues prevented Bearman from seeking redemption.
In conclusion, the real MVP among the rookies is Andrea Kimi Antonelli, number 12 at the wheel of Mercedes. After three calm free practice sessions to fully understand the potential of the Brackley car, the young Italian was penalized by gravel on the exit of turn 6, which damaged the car’s floor and prevented a higher classification position. Everything was recovered in the race, where Antonelli finished in fourth place, just behind his teammate.
It’s worth noting that the conditions of this first Grand Prix weren’t the easiest, even leading experienced drivers to make misjudgments. This is just the first act in critical conditions of a 24-part story, with still plenty of time to seek redemption from the Melbourne weekend. Keep an eye on Shanghai, then!
Photo: Formula 1, Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, Haas F1 Team.