The 13 F1 rookies appearing in Abu Dhabi's 2024 post-season test

Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) and Jack Doohan (Alpine) are all expected to be in action for their respective outfits, but Oliver Bearman will have to wait on the sidelines after competing in three grands prix in 2024 — forfeiting his rookie status.

Elsewhere, other young drivers, long-term reserves and racers from other motor sport series will hoping to make a good impression — all aiming for a future F1 chance.

Here’s every rookie driver taking part in the 2024 Abu Dhabi post-season test. Click on any of their names to jump to a profile.

2024 Abu Dhabi post-season test: rookie drivers

Paul Aron 

Alpine

Multiple podium finishes and a feature race victory in Qatar have seen Paul Aron rise to Formula 2 stardom in 2024, and his third-place finish in the drivers’ standings has been rewarded with a debut F1 test in Yas Marina with Alpine.

The Enstone outfit has already announced the Estonian driver as its F1 reserve for 2025, and a strong showing in the Abu Dhabi Young Driver Test this week could turn the heads of Flavio Briatore and Alpine team boss Oliver Oakes.

Aron is expected to drive for Hitech GP in F2 again in 2025 — a title in his sights — but with question marks continuing to surround Jack Doohan, could the rising star get an F1 call up sooner than he thought?

Jack Doohan

Alpine

The name may well be familiar, not just because Jack Doohan is son of the MotoGP legend Mick, but because he is already an established member of the F1 paddock — especially when compared to the rest of the drivers on this list. Not only has the Aussie already completed numerous testing miles with Alpine on filming days, but he has also previously taken part in several FP1 sessions from 2022 to 2024, as well as the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi.

It seemed his hard work had finally paid off earlier this season, as Doohan was announced as Pierre Gasly’s Alpine team-mate for 2025.

He then made his F1 race debut for the Enstone outfit at the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after Esteban Ocon’s contract was ended prematurely but finished a lowly 15th. Doohan will get the opportunity to get more miles under his belt in the post-season Pirelli tyre test but could need to impress amid Alpine’s growing interest in Franco Colapinto.

Felipe Drugovich

Aston Martin

A dominant performance in 2022 saw Felipe Drugovich claim the F2 crown with a race to spare — causing many to claim that the Brazilian was ‘F1 ready’ heading into 2023. He subsequently joined Aston Martin as its first official test and reserve driver, and has since racked up a considerable amount of simulator hours as well as FP1 showings at Monza, Abu Dhabi and Mexico City.

After being impressively on pace in all three sessions, Drugovich has proved to many that he deserves an F1 seat and will be aiming to better his odds with a strong performance during the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi. But his chances at a full-time F1 gig for 2025 and beyond seem minimal.

Despite the sizeable performance gap between them, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll are set to take up the only two F1 seats at the Silverstone marque for the foreseeable future — the former signing a multi-year contract at the start of 2023, while the latter appears to be untouchable while his father Lawrence Stroll remains as the team’s owner.

Given his obvious talent, Drugovich could be in the running for midfield seats elsewhere, but he may also have to play the long game — much like many of the other drivers on this list.

Jak Crawford 

Aston Martin

Jak Crawford was a near-constant presence at the front of the F2 grid in 2024, scoring five podium finishes and a feature race win in Barcelona to finish an impressive fifth in the season standings.

He joined the Aston Martin Young Driver Programme in February 2024, and will appear in the AMR-24 for the post-season test in Abu Dhabi alongside Felipe Drugovich.

If Crawford’s lap times look respectable next to the experienced Drugovich, he could put himself in the sights of multiple F1 constructors who may be eyeing up the commercial benefit of having an American in their cockpit.

Antonio Fuoco

Ferrari

Antonio Fuoco is one of the more experienced names on this list, but he’s of critical importance to Ferrari.

The Italian has been a long-term development driver for the Scuderia, but has had vast success in the World Endurance Championship (WEC), most memorably taking pole for the 2023 Le Mans 24 Hours behind the wheel of a Ferrari 499P. In the same year, he also scored podium finishes at the Monza 6 Hours, Portimao 6 Hours and the Sebring 1000 Miles.

Fuoco will be back behind the wheel of a Ferrari F1 car during the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi, and will aim to provide feedback to the team as well as support to junior driver Arthur Leclerc.

Arthur Leclerc 

Ferrari

Arthur Leclerc made his F1 weekend debut at the 2024 Abu Dhabi GP, making a FP1 appearance alongside his elder brother Charles at Ferrari.

He has spent 2024 as the Scuderia’s development driver, but impressed as a junior: he finished a close runner-up in a heated Formula Regional Europe campaign, and later won the Formula Regional Asia series in 2022, beating the likes of Pepe Martí, Isack Hadjar and Gabriele Mini. He also finished sixth in the 2022 FIA Formula 3 series.

He’ll back in the cockpit of the SF-24 for the Young Driver Test, but Leclerc Jr’s chances at a full-time drive any time soon seem less likely than most.

Ryo Hirakawa

Haas

Much like Fuoco, Ryo Hirakawa has become an established name in the World Endurance Championship: winning the back-to-back titles with Toyota in 2022 and 2023 as well as the illustrious Le Mans 24 Hours in the former year.

The Japanese driver as acted as McLaren’s reserve driver for 2024 and made an FP1 debut at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where he finished a competitive 14th.

Given his ties to Toyota, Hirakawa has been asked to test for Haas in Abu Dhabi during the post-season test, after the team announced a technical partnership with the Japanese automotive giant midway through the 2024 campaign.

Pato O’Ward

McLaren

Another impressive IndyCar campaign in 2024 has kept Pato O’Ward in the hunt for an F1 seat in the years to come — the Mexican having finished fifth in the championship standings with three victories.

As part of the McLaren Driver Development Programme, O’Ward has already had numerous opportunities to prove himself in F1 machinery: first making his FP1 debut at the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix — where he finished ahead of F2 stars Jack Doohan and Felipe Drugovich — and most recently appearing again in Mexico City, where he finished just three-tenths behind Oscar Piastri.

Although both McLaren F1 seats are set to remain occupied until at least 2026, an impressive result during the Young Driver Test could open doors elsewhere, but with numerous F2 stars available, the Mexican has plenty of hurdles to clear.

Frederik Vesti

Mercedes

Frederik Vesti finished a agonising second to Theo Pourchaire in the 2023 F2 title race and has since resided in the back of the Mercedes garage with only occasional appearances in F1 machinery during FP1 sessions.

But when the Dane has stepped up, he’s impressed. In Abu Dhabi last year, he was the fastest of the F2 drivers participating in the session, and for a time he was also the second-fastest runner over all. He was still a whole seven-tenths off the pace of George Russell — who topped the timesheets — but he’s had more than enough time since to hone his talent on the Mercedes simulator as a F1 reserve for the Brackley outfit.

He’ll appear again in Abu Dhabi this week during the morning session, filling in for an unwell Kimi Antonelli who was chosen as Lewis Hamilton’s replacement over Vesti for 2025.

Kimi Antonelli 

Mercedes

From making his F2 debut to being announced as Lewis Hamilton’s replacement in the space of a few months: Kimi Antonelli’s rise has been meteoric and we won’t have long left to see whether he merits his billing as F1’s next superstar.

Antonelli began Tuesday unwell, so was replaced for the morning session by Frederik Vesti. He may make it on track in the afternoon. It would follow his F1 debut in the 2024 Italian GP FP1 session for Mercedes.

Alongside his F2 drive with Prema in 2024 — in which he has largely struggled — Antonelli has also completed “extensive” testing in the Mercedes W13 at Spa as well as in the championship-winning W12 at the Red Bull Ring in preparation for his F1 promotion.

The Abu Dhabi Young Driver Test is part of the young Italian’s acclimatisation process, ahead of his long-awaited F1 debut.

Ayumu Iwasa

RB

After numerous victories and podium appearances over the past three seasons in F2, Ayumu Iwasa is an increasingly promising member of the illustrious yet cut-throat Red Bull Driver Academy. In 2023, the Japanese driver scored a feature race win in Melbourne, alongside sprint race wins in Jeddah and Monaco. This year he returned to Japan to race in the Super Formula Championship. He finished fifth in the drivers’ standings after securing three podium finishes.

But as much as he may deserve a chance to prove himself at the next level, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where Iwasa fits in amongst the current chaos. While either Lawson or Tsunoda could replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull for 2025, the Milton Keynes outfit look much more likely to promote Isack Hadjar into a seat at RB — after the Frenchman contended the F2 title in 2024.

The 2024 Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi could likely be as good as it gets for a while for the young Japanese driver.

Isack Hadjar

Red Bull

Isack Hadjar has made a number of underwhelming FP1 appearances for Red Bull and RB throughout 2023 and 2024, and will return to the Red Bull cockpit in Abu Dhabi.

At 20 years of age, Hadjar has thoroughly impressed his bosses at the Milton Keynes outfit during his latest F2 campaign: winning feature races in Melbourne, Imola, Silverstone and Spa but losing out on the title by just 22.5 points.

Helmut Marko and Christian Horner seem keen to promote him, and an impressive showing in Abu Dhabi could make the highly-rated young Frenchman an option, potentially next year if Sergio Perez loses his seat and prompts a reshuffle.

Gabriel Bortoleto 

Sauber

Even before claiming the 2024 F2 title in his rookie year, Gabriel Bortoleto’s motor sport future was secure, having been announced as Nico Hülkenberg’s F1 team-mate at Sauber for 2025.

The 20-year-old McLaren junior, personally managed by Fernando Alonso, will therefore see this week’s testing in Abu Dhabi as an opportunity to adjust to the team prior to the winter break.

Luke Browning

Williams

Luke Browning, former GB3 champion and winner of the 2022 Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver, will continue his meteoric rise through the motor sport ranks this week.

After joining the Williams driver academy in 2023, the Briton contested the FIA Formula 3 Championship in 2024 with Hitech, where he scored two race wins, a podium in Monaco and was in contention for the title until the final race of the season in Monza.

His performances were impressive enough to warrant a promotion to F2 from the Azerbaijan GP onwards, and picked up points finishes in two of his six on-track appearances.

Browning will get his first taste of F1 machinery in Abu Dhabi at the Young Driver Test with Williams, but likely has a long wait on his hands for a full-time drive with the Grove outfit.