How a trio of rookies impressed at the F1 Japanese GP

For a circuit as famously difficult to master as Suzuka, seeing three Formula 1 rookies secure points during the Japanese Grand Prix is a testament to the ability of the new breed of driver coming through the ranks.

While reigning world champion Max Verstappen sealed a fine victory ahead of the chasing McLaren pair of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, a trio of inexperienced drivers also impressed.

Here, Autosport looks at how each of them fared and what they thought of their respective races.

Having been perplexed at earning the Driver of the Day accolade at the Chinese Grand Prix, Antonelli may question why he did not claim the most votes in Japan.

The 18-year-old went into the weekend a little trepidatiously having never driven around Suzuka, missing out on the chance to do so in a Super Formula test at the back end of last year due to illness.

But, with the guidance of team-mate George Russell and third driver Valtteri Bottas, the Italian grew into the weekend and qualified alongside Russell in sixth place.

He would go on to finish in the same position, extending his run of three races and three points finishes – the first rookie driver to achieve such a feat since a certain Lewis Hamilton at McLaren in 2007, when Antonelli was not even a year old.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

Not only that, he also became the youngest driver to ever lead a grand prix as he was able to extend his opening stint on the medium tyre much longer than his fellow front-runners and then became the youngest man to claim an F1 fastest lap, too.

“Qualifying was a big click, because definitely I was able to feel more the car and push it more, and today [in the race] was another step forward,” he said.

“I’m really looking forward to explore even more in the next few weekends, because now I have the feeling that I can again play with the car, and something that I couldn’t really do in the previous two weekends, just because I was definitely a bit more tense while driving, while now I’m getting more experience with the tyres and the car itself.

“I’m able to feel it more as well. So definitely a good boost of confidence ahead of next weekend.”

Before a wheel had been turned in Suzuka, it was clear that Hadjar was not going to be anywhere near the focus of the media attention on the Red Bull stable.

With Liam Lawson demoted from Red Bull and returning to Racing Bulls as Hadjar’s team-mate, Yuki Tsunoda replacing him in time for his home race and Verstappen being, well, Verstappen, there was not much to say about Hadjar.

However, he would catch the eye with his best performance since entering F1, claiming his maiden top-10 finish seemingly quite comfortably.

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Isack Hadjar, Racing bulls Team

Photo by: Peter Fox – Getty Images

The Frenchman had been anything but comfortable during qualifying as his seatbelts were fastened too tight during Q1 – although he overcame the issue to eventually put his Racing Bull seventh on the grid, ahead of his childhood hero Hamilton.

He would ultimately lose out to the seven-time world champion in the race but still came home in eighth place to take four points and open his account for the year.

“All we could have done today was P8 and we did it I think it was a perfectly executed race, left nothing on the table and the pace was definitely strong,” he said when analysing his performance.

“Especially on the medium and on the first in, I felt really, really strong and the first half as well on the hard, and later on Alex [Albon] was just flying and he was catching bit by bit.

“But I had enough gap to secure the place. So we still need to review it, but all in all it was good.”

Bearman is certainly no stranger to points-scoring in F1, his 10th place in Japan means he now has taken a haul from four of the six grands prix in which he has raced.

This, though, is likely to be the most memorable thus far given his strong overall performance across the weekend.

Oliver Bearman, Haas F1 Team

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

Haas brought an untested floor upgrade to Suzuka and Bearman made it work much better than his experienced team-mate Esteban Ocon, even so both he and team principal Ayao Komatsu admitted reaching Q3 on Saturday was a surprise.

With Toyota now on board as a technical partner, Haas would have wanted a strong showing in Japan and Bearman delivered, as he finished the grand prix where he started it to take 10th place and the final point on offer.

Unlike he F2 team-mate of 2024 Antonelli, though, Bearman did take part in the Super Formula test last year, so this was not a step into the complete unknown for the British teenager.

“Every weekend I’ve done so far has had a mistake somewhere, maybe not China,” he said. “But this one, completing the full weekend without any bad points, good qualifying, good race, I’m happy with this one, and it’s a good baseline to improve from.

“This weekend, I felt really confident to push and lean on it, and if I have that feeling, I hope we can be that competitive in the future races too.”