Written by Ria Ann Sam, Edited by Gabriel Tsui
A new F1 season brings us new faces, and this season we have five rookies on the grid. How did they perform in their first F1 weekend?
Isack Hadjar
Hadjar had a good start to the weekend, finishing in the top 10 in two out of three practice sessions. He looked strongest compared to the other rookies going into the weekend, out qualifying all of them, and was penned in to begin the race from 11th on the grid.
Unfortunately, his debut race would have to wait after spinning out on the formation lap. He was visibly emotional whilst walking back to the garage, and Helmut Marko described it as “embarrassing”. However, we saw a lovely moment between Hadjar and Anthony Hamilton, as the latter gave him a hug and told him to “keep your head high, walk tall.” Hopefully Hadjar bounces back next weekend and proves why he was given his seat.
Jack Doohan
Doohan also had a good start to the weekend, matching teammate Pierre Gasly’s pace in practices. Being the only other Australian on the grid meant that he was also a home favourite, and his father - 5 time MotoGP champion - Mick Doohan was there.
However, his weekend would also end in disappointment, as he suffered a crash on the opening lap. This by itself is heartbreaking, but also knowing that his seat is at risk from Franco Colapinto makes it even more tragic. He will have to exceed all expectations if he wants to keep his seat.
Gabriel Bortoleto
Bortoleto was the only rookie to qualify ahead of his teammate, that teammate being Nico Hulkenberg. Sadly, he was handed a five-second penalty for an unsafe release ahead of Liam Lawson, and later lost control of the car and spun out, effectively ending his debut weekend.
Reflecting on his weekend, the Brazilian said: “unfortunately, the race didn't end as we had hoped - which is a shame, as things were going quite well for me up until that moment. ”
Oliver Bearman
Ollie Bearman is the most experienced rookie, after having raced three times with Ferrari and Haas last season. However, his official F1 career started poorly with a crash in pre-season testing, as well as FP1.
This crash meant he did not finish that session, nor did he take part in the next one, as the team had to work on his car, and he finished 19th in the final round. The Brit then had a pitlane start after suspension set-up specification change.
Despite this and having only one hour of practice ahead of the race, he finished 14th (or last, considering six drivers DNF’d). He said that he was “happy” with his performance as he was able to “get the laps in and collect data.”
Kimi Antonelli
Andrea Kimi Antonelli might be the most exciting rookie the sport has seen in a while, due to his stellar performances in the lower formulas, plus the fact that he came in to replace 7 time World Champion Lewis Hamilton. Despite a Q1 exit, the Italian drove his Mercedes to fourth and scored points on debut, becoming the second youngest driver to do so after Max Verstappen.
He had been given a five-second penalty for an “unsafe release”, meaning he would have finished fifth, however, it was overturned and he was promoted back to fourth. Through this stellar drive in a track where experienced drivers struggled, the 18 year-old proved why he was given a seat.
It will be thrilling to see how the rest of the season plays out and how these youngsters perform, but we can expect great things from them.
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