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Formula 1

Who are F1 drivers’ race engineers in 2025?

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A race engineer has one of the most important roles in any Formula 1 team. It is their job to optimise the performance of the driver-and-car combination. Throughout the race weekend, they translate the feedback coming from the driver into set-up decisions to achieve the best possible result. And, except in rare cases, they are the only ones who communicate directly with drivers via team radio.

Here’s who F1 drivers will be working with in 2025.

Norris will continue to work with Will Joseph, who has been part of the Briton’s crew since his F1 debut in 2019. The pair already have a good working relationship, which should help Norris in this year’s campaign. In 2023, McLaren experimented with alternating engineers on Norris’ side of the garage, with Jose Manuel Lopez taking on the role for some races, but ultimately Joseph remained as the English racer’s sole race engineer.

Lando Norris and Will Joseph

Lando Norris and Will Joseph

Photo by: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images

Tom Stallard, who won a silver medal in rowing for Team GB at the 2008 Olympic Games, has been with McLaren for almost two decades. As a race engineer, he has worked with Jenson Button, Stoffel Vandoorne, Carlos Sainz and Daniel Ricciardo. He has partnered with Piastri since the Australian’s F1 debut two years ago and will continue in the same role in 2025.

Oscar Piastri with Tom Stallard

Oscar Piastri with Tom Stallard

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

Hamilton will be working with one of the most experienced race engineers in F1. Riccardo Adami joined Ferrari from Toro Rosso in 2015 and has since worked with Sebastian Vettel and Sainz. This will be Hamilton’s first change of race engineer in more than a decade, as Peter Bonnington has decided to stay at Mercedes.

Riccardo Adami, Ferrari

Riccardo Adami, Ferrari

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

In May 2024, Bryan Bozzi replaced Xavi Marcos as Leclerc’s race engineer. While Marcos’ infamous “We are checking” replies became the source of memes about Ferrari’s alleged incompetence in race strategy, Bozzi sounds much more confident and even a little stern with Leclerc – and the Monegasque has already secured three victories alongside the Italian-Danish engineer. Bozzi joined Ferrari in 2012 and has worked in Leclerc’s crew since the driver joined the team in 2019. He was previously his performance engineer.

Bryan Bozzi, Scuderia Ferrari

Bryan Bozzi, Scuderia Ferrari

Photo by: Ferrari

The Jason Statham of F1 will continue to guide Verstappen despite his promotion within Red Bull. It’s hard to imagine another engineer handling the Dutchman’s temperament as effectively. Gianpiero Lambiase started in F1 when Verstappen was still in primary school, working with Paul Di Resta and Sergio Perez at Force India. He was initially hired by Red Bull to replace Guillaume Rocquelin as Vettel’s engineer, but when the German left for Ferrari, Lambiase ended up working with Daniil Kvyat. After Kvyat was demoted to Toro Rosso in mid-2016, Lambiase was paired with then-18-year-old Verstappen. They’ve been inseparable since.

Gianpiero Lambiase, Red Bull Racing

Gianpiero Lambiase, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

The second Red Bull car is entrusted to Richard Wood, who, like incoming driver Lawson, is relatively new to the role. Woody, as he’s known in the team, has been with Red Bull for more than a decade, rising through the ranks before joining Perez’s side of the garage as a performance engineer four years ago. Last year he had his first stint as race engineer, replacing Hugh Bird, who missed several races through paternity leave. Christian Horner cited this as a key factor in Wood’s “natural” promotion, with Bird now concentrating on factory work in order to spend more time with his family.

Richard Wood with Sergio Perez

Richard Wood with Sergio Perez

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Mercedes

It’s hard to imagine a better coach for the Mercedes youngster at the start of his F1 career. Peter Bonnington’s last two drivers are the most successful in F1 history. Bono joined the Brackley-based team in the Honda era, won the 2009 championship as Jenson Button’s performance engineer when the outfit was Brawn GP, and then retained the role for Michael Schumacher when it became Mercedes. He went on to take over as Hamilton’s race engineer in 2013, and together they broke many records. As well as keeping Antonelli’s tyres in good shape, Bono – now head of race engineering – will oversee both sides of the garage.

Lewis Hamilton with Peter Bonnington

Lewis Hamilton with Peter Bonnington

Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images

The lead Mercedes driver will continue to work with Marcus Dudley, who has been Russell’s race engineer since 2023. Since then, he has not only helped the Briton learn the difference between sweat and rain but has also guided him to a couple of grand prix victories. Dudley has been with Mercedes for more than a decade, having started his F1 career in 2006.

Marcus Dudley, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team

Marcus Dudley, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

Aston Martin

Alonso’s previous engineer, Chris Cronin, who also worked with Vettel and Perez, has been promoted within the team. Alonso will now work with Andrew Vizard, who has moved from Lance Stroll’s side of the garage. Vizard began working with Stroll at the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix and has now been assigned to Alonso. He joined Aston Martin at the start of 2023 after five years with Williams.

Andrew Vizard with Lance Stroll

Andrew Vizard with Lance Stroll

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

The American engineer started his F1 career with Marussia and spent the last decade with Haas. Gary Gannon was the race engineer for Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen before working with German drivers Mick Schumacher and Nico Hulkenberg. He built a strong reputation at Haas, and his move to Aston Martin is a logical career progression.

Gary Gannon worked with Nico Hulkenberg for the last two years at Haas

Gary Gannon worked with Nico Hulkenberg for the last two years at Haas

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

This is John Howard’s second season as Gasly’s race engineer after the team promoted the Frenchman’s previous engineer, Karel Loos, to deputy head of track engineering. Howard has been with Alpine for 13 years, starting as a mechanical design engineer and working his way up through other roles, including engineering coordinator and senior performance engineer.

John Howard, Alpine race engineer

John Howard, Alpine race engineer

Photo by: Alpine

For the past few years, Josh Peckett has been Esteban Ocon’s race engineer, famously guiding him to victory in the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix. The pair reunited at Alpine, having both worked at Manor in 2016 when the Frenchman made his F1 debut – although Peckett was on a different side of the garage at the time. Now their paths have parted again, with Ocon moving to Haas and Peckett remaining at Alpine, where he’ll work with Jack Doohan.

Jack Doohan with Josh Peckett

Jack Doohan with Josh Peckett

Photo by: Alpine

Haas

Ocon’s race engineer will be under the spotlight this year as Laura Mueller is the first woman to hold such a position in F1. The 33-year-old German joined Haas in 2022 after a career in sportscars, DTM and GT. She has been a performance engineer for the past two years and will now help Ocon settle in at Haas.

Laura Müller and Esteban Ocon

Laura Müller and Esteban Ocon

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

Haas changed both race engineers over the winter. Gary Gannon and Mark Slade left the team to make way for Mueller and Ronan O’Hare. The latter will now work with Bearman. The Irish engineer has a wealth of experience, not only in F1 but also in other categories, including Formula E. In F1, before Haas, he worked for Williams and also spent a few years at Brackley.

Oliver Bearman with Ronan O'Hare

Oliver Bearman with Ronan O’Hare

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

Ernesto Desiderio is Tsunoda’s second race engineer in F1. The Japanese started his career with Mattia Spini, but the latter was promoted within the team in the middle of last year, so Yuki has been working with Desiderio since the Monza race. Ernesto joined the team in 2023 from Williams. He previously worked at Haas.

Yuki Tsunoda with race engineer Ernesto Desiderio

Yuki Tsunoda with race engineer Ernesto Desiderio

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

The French rookie will work alongside compatriot Pierre Hamelin, who has been one of the Faenza-based team’s race engineers since 2016. He was promoted to the role ahead of that year’s Spanish Grand Prix and has since worked with a number of drivers including Kvyat, Brendon Hartley, Gasly, Nyck de Vries, Daniel Ricciardo and most recently Lawson.

Pierre Hamelin has been working with several drivers, including Daniel Ricciardo

Pierre Hamelin has been working with several drivers, including Daniel Ricciardo

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Williams

Having started his career as a mechanic in the European Le Mans Series and British Touring Car Championship, James Urwin joined Williams in 2014 and has since worked as a race engineer for Stroll and Russell. The coming season will be his fourth with Albon.

Alex Albon, Williams Racing, with his engineer James Urwin on the grid

Alex Albon, Williams Racing, with his engineer James Urwin on the grid

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

Gaetan Jego joined Williams in 2020, having previously spent more than a decade with the ART Grand Prix team. He moved to F1 from the role of LMP1 technical director when the outfit supported SMP Racing in sportscars, working with Nicholas Latifi, Logan Sargeant and Franco Colapinto at the end of last year. Now he’s tasked with helping four-time race winner Sainz.

Gaetan Jego, Williams Racing Race Engineer

Gaetan Jego, Williams Racing Race Engineer

Photo by: Williams

Steven Petrik joined Sauber last year from Ferrari. He spent eight years in Maranello as a performance engineer, most recently on Sainz’s side of the garage. After moving to Sauber, he replaced Valtteri Bottas’ engineer Alex Chan and stayed in that role until the end of the season.

Steven Petrik

Steven Petrik

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

Jose Manuel Lopez joined Sauber from McLaren over the winter. For the majority of his time at Woking, which began in 2020, he was Norris’ performance engineer, and on a number of occasions in 2023 he even acted as his race engineer, deputising for Will Joseph, particularly while the Briton was on paternity leave.

Last year, however, he moved to McLaren’s driver development department and it was in this role that he had the opportunity to oversee Bortoleto’s performance in Formula 2 – so although the Brazilian is a rookie in F1, he’s already had experience of working with his new race engineer. Prior to McLaren, Lopez spent several years at Haas, where he was one of the team’s first employees.

Jose Manuel Lopez with Lando Norris

Jose Manuel Lopez with Lando Norris

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

In this article

Oleg Karpov

Formula 1

Ferrari

Red Bull Racing

RB

McLaren

Williams

Sauber

Aston Martin Racing

Mercedes

Haas F1 Team

Alpine

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Formula 1

How Racing Bulls renewed its latest charge to lead the midfield order

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Racing Bulls has, quite rightly, garnered plaudits for its switch to a white livery for 2025, producing a new(ish) twist to the formula of Red Bull influenced liveries as its ‘sister’ team completes a decade with the same design. White cars haven’t always been popular, particularly in the mid-2000s when it felt like every manufacturer team had one, but the VCARB 02’s matte tones just feel right.

We’ve now seen the team’s second car since its rebrand from AlphaTauri hit the road and, although it definitely ticks all the boxes usually indicative of “evolutionary design”, there are a few key changes and upgrades that set it apart from its predecessor.

The suspension at the front appears to have largely the same geometry, retaining the pull-rod formula and low-mounted rear leg of the upper wishbone, which also hints towards Red Bull’s direction for 2025 as the two teams share suspension layouts. Racing Bulls had also hidden the outer mounting point of its pull-rod behind the brake ducts last year, but a new duct assembly appears to clear a path around the pull-rod instead.

In line with what has become fashionable, Racing Bulls has also adopted the overbite sidepod inlets to follow the other teams that gravitated towards the design popularised by Red Bull and McLaren. The inlet shape became clear by enhancing the brightness of the image, which has been marked on our annotated images of the car, and visibly follows the P-shape by opening up a vertical inlet along the chassis flanks.

Visually, the VCARB 02 does not look completely distinct from the car that preceded it around the engine cover, as it retains the high-shouldered outlets that help to grow the channels along the top of the sidepods – which appear to have become broader as the team has put greater attention on keeping the flow controlled energised in this part of the car.

The square rollhoop inlet remains, as does the general rear wing geometry and the push-rod rear suspension; the team is keeping a platform that it knows and feels it can refine before the attention switches to 2026. There are also a number of subtle changes to the front wing, which we thought we’d explore in a little more detail.

RB opted for an angular, pointy nose last season, and a front wing with a slightly raised section where it met the nose to drive more airflow underneath the car. Now known as Racing Bulls, the new nose droops down a little more to, this time, lower the central wing section and perhaps use the wing to trim any stagnating flow here. As such, the nose’s top surface has been smoothed out and the wing elements joined to it reorganised with a longer-chord second element. The top two elements in turn have had their chord lengths reduced.

Details of the new Racing Bulls front nose and wing

Details of the new Racing Bulls front nose and wing

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

There are all-new endplates, with a switch to a curved leading edge, S-shaped diveplane, and revised junction points to the front wing elements to redefine the direction that the airflow takes around the rest of the car. Although the front wing provides downforce, it must also set up the air optimally for the rest of the car to benefit from.

The trailing edge is also smoothed out over the wing’s span, with the flap adjuster mechanism moved slightly further in-board to open up space for the increasingly complex rear element junction points. Many teams have experimented with using minimally sized attachment points to add curls and exposed tips to strengthen the airflow shed from this area, and Racing Bulls’ latest car largely picks up from where its predecessor left off in this area.

Overall, the differences between the VCARB 01 and 02 are not glaring, but there is clear evolution here. And this all comes against the backdrop of the team’s infrastructural changes that have brought it geographically closer to Red Bull’s lead operations in Milton Keynes, as its UK operations have left the Bicester facilities it once occupied – these, the team had previously explained, had become far too small for the growth of the Racing Bulls operation.

With renewed efforts from its midfield rivals, Racing Bulls will have a tough job on its hands to achieve last year’s ambition of finishing sixth overall in the constructors’ championship

This also furthers the technological links with Red Bull too; once the engine operation is up and running for 2026, Racing Bulls will be right next to it – and will also be very close to the new wind tunnel once that comes online next year. This adds to the technology-sharing deal the two teams have within the bounds of the rules, which primarily involves the gearbox and suspension packages.

Team principal Laurent Mekies explained what the team was looking to get out of the new VCARB 02, underlining the key areas that he thought were up for improvement in last year’s car. He also conceded that the first part of the 2025 season might be tough, suggesting that the team was going to invest heavily in improvements in the early phase of the year to make the most of its new facilities.

“In terms of what we were looking for I think there is two streams – in terms of car characteristics, we wanted to have a car that performs a bit more consistently compared to last year,” he said. “We had very good moments last year. We had more difficult races, so in terms of overall target, we have tried to understand what made our car not so consistent last year.

Mekies has overseen Racing Bulls' move into a new Milton Keynes base and develop its 2025 challenger this winter

Mekies has overseen Racing Bulls’ move into a new Milton Keynes base and develop its 2025 challenger this winter

Photo by: Getty Images

“Hopefully, we will be able to address some of that and we have done that in parallel with evolving the team, to continue to build the team. I’m not here to tell you that we think we have solved all of our competitiveness issues, but certainly the team is gelling together in the right directions. We moved into our Milton Keynes facility on 2 January, so we have now two very good headquarters.

“Is it really yet to say the car is up there? No, we don’t think it is yet, and we expect a tough first part of the season – but with the conviction that the direction of travel is the right one.”

In any case, the car is at least pretty – but with renewed efforts from its midfield rivals, Racing Bulls will have a tough job on its hands to achieve last year’s ambition of finishing sixth overall in the constructors’ championship. What it has, however, is a new base to build on, and one that the team’s key personnel believe will help to raise its level over the coming years.

Subscribe to Autosport Plus for more Formula 1 technical and in-depth analysis ahead of the 2025 season.

What can Racing Bulls produce in 2025?

What can Racing Bulls produce in 2025?

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

In this article

Jake Boxall-Legge

Formula 1

RB

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Formula 1

How Tsunoda has shown the maturity he needs to secure his F1 future

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Yuki Tsunoda says he has reconciled himself to being beaten by Liam Lawson in the race to the seat alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull – an admission he is perhaps moving towards to dispel the doubts Red Bull’s decision makers still hold about him.

Sitting alongside new Racing Bulls team-mate Isack Hadjar, team principal Laurent Mekies and CEO Peter Bayer in a press conference ahead of the F175 season launch at London’s O2 Arena, Tsunoda was speaking to an international audience for the first time since learning that Lawson had been chosen ahead of him. It was a measure of how pressing an issue his immediate future is that this subject was the second question, beaten to pole position only by a snarky enquiry about the team’s latest name change.

Tsunoda, no doubt sensing the inevitability of this line of questioning, did not look altogether happy to be there. Indeed, his demeanour called to mind a venerable PG Wodehouse quote: “A melancholy-looking man, he had the appearance of one who has searched for the leak in life’s gas pipe with a lighted candle.”

Nevertheless, his answer was suitably phlegmatic. He had seen the decision coming and was prepared for it.

“I already kind of parked it away from my head,” he said. “The moment they [Red Bull] officially announced [Lawson], I didn’t actually feel super-super angry or disappointed. Maybe I was prepared at some point.”

The point in question was probably the very moment his long-rumoured test in a Red Bull car was announced last year, late and in a somewhat perfunctory fashion, as if it had already taken on the status of consolation prize in a TV quiz show, with Christian Horner as the host with a palliative hand on his shoulder: “Let’s see what you would have won…”

Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing RB20

Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing RB20

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Tsunoda was determined to apply a positive spin. His next utterance was a variety of word salad as he tried to suggest that remaining part of the Red Bull family was still “a pretty cool project”. The fact that it took him three halting attempts to get the team’s current name right before gamely plugging on with the rest of his sentence was illuminating.

This is a team which is now on its third different title since Tsunoda got his break there in 2021, and the fluidity of its nomenclature has run in parallel with the larger Red Bull organisation’s uncertainty over what its role should be. Junior-driver prep school? Fashion brand? No identity at all apart from a clunking acronym, the product of some car-crash in the marketing department between a bank app and the team’s non-name?

Tsunoda even joked about this when pitched a question regarding his need to find another team if there’s no place for him at Red Bull’s senior team in 2026: “I don’t know, maybe this team changes its name again next year and it’s a different team!”

The reality for Tsunoda is that he is already on borrowed time, since three seasons is historically as much as a Red Bull junior gets before Dr Helmut Marko, the organisation’s “driver advisor”, hits the ejector switch. 2025 will be Tsunoda’s fifth, which is indicative of many factors: the need to keep Honda on side; the absence of suitable replacement candidates as Red Bull’s feeder pipe stutters; and the indubitable fact that he was fast-tracked through European single-seater racing.

Maturity – or lack thereof – has long been cited as the principal reason for Tsunoda being passed over. And while there are those who say he has been making process in this regard, apparent evidence to the contrary keeps popping up in the form of erratic behaviour on track and peculiar rants over the team radio.

It’s said that Marko still holds out some hope – but Honda’s move to Aston Martin from 2026 removes an important reason for keeping Tsunoda in the mix. Tsunoda also believes that he can build a case to stay on: “I would love to be part of this team, I’m going to stick to what I’m doing. I understand why they chose Liam. It is what it is. There are things I can’t control… I just need to keep focused on what I’m doing, prove myself more.”

Yuki Tsunoda, RB F1 Team

Yuki Tsunoda, RB F1 Team

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

All the greatest sportspeople grasp the importance of understanding the difference between what is and isn’t controllable, and focusing on what you can control. Absorbing the reasons Red Bull chose Lawson over him – after much dither and delay – represents a very powerful change in his mindset.

If Tsunoda can spend this season doing just that – maximising his own potential and demonstrating it, rather than waiting with increasing impatience for a decision which may never come – he is on the way to becoming a more complete driver.

Read Also:

Getting the better of Hadjar will be an important measure, but Tsunoda has already seen off Nyck de Vries and Daniel Ricciardo with no reward. Plus Arvid Lindblad, Red Bull’s next big hope, has been promoted to Formula 2 this season and will be knocking on the door.

Perhaps, despite his manifest determination to stay in the family, Tsunoda would be better rewarded if he invested some of the time afforded to him this season in looking for alternatives.

As he says himself in his own unique idiom: “So, yeah, whatever happens, you know, there can be interesting options…”

In this article

Stuart Codling

Formula 1

Yuki Tsunoda

Red Bull Racing

RB

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Formula 1

All the back-up drivers for 2025

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Formula 1 teams are well underway preparing for the forthcoming 2025 campaign, which will consist of 24 grands prix beginning in Melbourne on the 14-16 March.

The grid is set and all but two teams – McLaren and Aston Martin – have changed their driver line-up, meaning this year will have a new look.

But it is not just the full-time competitors that play a crucial role, as a team’s back-up driver does as well.

Reserve drivers act on standby during grand prix weekends and may contest one should a team’s regular driver be unable to. This happened at the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, for example, as Oliver Bearman replaced Carlos Sainz at Ferrari because the Spaniard had appendicitis. 

F1 teams also employ simulator drivers, who test changes made to the car so that everybody can gain a greater understanding of the machine.

So, who are the drivers supporting their team behind the scenes for 2025?

Red Bull

  • Reserve driver: TBC
  • Simulation driver: Rudy van Buren

Liam Lawson served as Red Bull’s reserve driver at the start of the 2024 season, but then he replaced Daniel Ricciardo at sister squad RB – now Racing Bulls – for October’s United States Grand Prix onwards.

The New Zealander soon received another promotion, as he will be Max Verstappen’s team-mate at Red Bull in 2025 after Sergio Perez was dropped by the Austrian outfit. This means Red Bull is currently without an official reserve driver, though Lawson’s former team-mate Yuki Tsunoda is expected to step into the role. 

Meanwhile, Rudy van Buren will continue as Red Bull’s simulator test and development driver after joining in 2023.

Rudy van Buren, Red Bull F1 Simulator Test and Development Driver

Rudy van Buren, Red Bull F1 Simulator Test and Development Driver

Photo: Red Bull Racing

Mercedes

Valtteri Bottas has returned to Mercedes for the 2025 season, but in a reserve driver capacity having been Lewis Hamilton’s team-mate from 2017 to 2021. The 10-time grand prix winner left for Alfa Romeo – now Sauber – having been replaced by George Russell, who was previously at Williams after graduating to F1 as a Mercedes junior.

But the Swiss outfit opted for an all-new line-up this year ahead of its Audi takeover in 2026, leaving Bottas without a drive. So, in December 2024 Mercedes announced that the Finn was back with the Silver Arrows replacing former reserve Mick Schumacher, who is part of Alpine’s Hypercar programme.

Sharing the role with Bottas is the 2023 F2 championship runner-up Frederik Vesti, who started the position last year having become a Mercedes junior in 2021.

Ferrari 

Zhou Guanyu has joined Ferrari as its reserve driver for 2025, having been part of its academy between 2015 and 2018. He initially left to become Renault’s development driver in 2019 before making his F1 debut with Alfa Romeo in 2022 but, like Bottas, he was dropped by the Hinwil-based outfit for this year. 

He will work alongside Antonio Giovinazzi, who was Zhou’s predecessor at Alfa Romeo. The Italian became Ferrari’s reserve driver in 2022 and Giovinazzi also competes for the historic brand in the World Endurance Championship, where he won the 2023 Le Mans 24 Hours.

Regarding Ferrari’s development drivers, that includes Arthur Leclerc who joined in 2024. He is the younger brother of full-time Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc and is joined by Antonio Fuoco and Davide Rigon.

Zhou Guanyu, Ferrari reserve driver

Zhou Guanyu, Ferrari reserve driver

Photo by: Ferrari

McLaren 

McLaren is yet to announce who its reserve drivers for 2025 are, with previous incumbent Ryo Hirakawa leaving the post to fulfil the same duty at Alpine. But Arrow McLaren IndyCar driver Pato O’Ward has previously contested F1 practice sessions for the Woking-based team, so it is likely he will continue his commitments.

McLaren also employs Will Stevens, who spends a lot of time in the team’s simulator where he works closely with the engineers and regular drivers.

Aston Martin 

Aston Martin has retained Felipe Drugovich and Stoffel Vandoorne as its reserve drivers for 2025. Previously the team was able to call on the reserves of engine partner Mercedes in case of an emergency but in more recent years, Aston Martin has introduced its own reserve drivers. 

While Vandoorne joined from Mercedes in November 2022, Drugovich has graduated from the Aston Martin driver development programme and the 2022 F2 champion has worked with the squad since 2023.

Felipe Drugovich, Aston Martin F1 Team

Felipe Drugovich, Aston Martin F1 Team

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Alpine

  • Reserve driver: Paul Aron, Ryo Hirakawa and Franco Colapinto

Jack Doohan will contest his first, full campaign in F1 this year after serving as Alpine’s reserve driver in 2024 before replacing Esteban Ocon at the Abu Dhabi season finale.

As a result, Alpine has announced Paul Aron, Ryo Hirakawa and Franco Colapinto as its reserve drivers for 2025.

Aron had a stellar F2 campaign last year, finishing third to champion Gabriel Bortoleto and Isack Hadjar, while Hirakawa has joined from McLaren where he held a similar role.

There is more hype around Colapinto though, who made his – relatively unexpected – F1 debut in Monza 2024 having replaced Logan Sargeant at Williams. He impressed immediately finishing 12th before taking points at his second grand prix in Azerbaijan with eighth.

But Williams had already announced Carlos Sainz as Alex Albon’s team-mate for 2025, so there was no full-time seat for Colapinto. As a result, he was snapped up by Alpine on a multi-year deal, where a spot may soon open up for the young Argentine given Doohan’s unsecure future.

Williams

  • Reserve driver: TBC
  • Development driver: Jamie Chadwick

Williams does not currently employ its own reserve driver, as previous incumbent Colapinto has left for the same role at Alpine after impressing for the British squad in his nine-round stint last year.

Jamie Chadwick, meanwhile, serves as its development driver after joining Williams in 2019 which is the year she clinched her first of three W Series titles.

Jamie Chadwick, Williams

Jamie Chadwick, Williams

Photo by: Williams

Racing Bulls

Hadjar served as Racing Bull’s reserve driver last year, when it was known as RB. But following Lawson’s promotion, Hadjar will partner Tsunoda for his rookie season leaving Racing Bulls currently without an official reserve driver.

Considering its close ties with Red Bull though, the Faenza-based squad can call on whomever is in the Red Bull pool.

Sauber

Zane Maloney and Theo Pourchaire have left the Sauber set-up since acting as reserve drivers last year. The Swiss outfit is yet to confirm who will support its all-new line-up of Nico Hulkenberg and Bortoleto before the squad morphs into the Audi works team in 2026.

Haas

Haas is also yet to announce its reserve driver for 2025 having promoted previous incumbent Bearman to a full-time seat at the American squad. One option could be Pietro Fittipaldi though, as the grandson of double world champion Emerson joined the team in 2019 and in that time has started two races due to Romain Grosjean’s crash at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix.

In this article

Casper Bekking

Formula 1

Ferrari

Red Bull Racing

RB

McLaren

Williams

Aston Martin Racing

Mercedes

Haas F1 Team

Alfa Romeo

Alpine

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