We've Hit The Formula 1 Summer Break, So Let's Power-Rank The Rookies On The Grid

We've hit the summer break on the Formula 1 calendar, which means we'll be without cars on track for a few weeks, but I figure that's a good opportunity to check in and see how the rookies on the F1 grid have been faring this season.

Formula 1 is arguably one of the hardest sports in which to be a rookie because of how little time drivers get in the car. So, teams that opt for rookies are rolling the dice, and this year, we had six rookies start the season, and one has already been replaced by another rookie.

There are always growing pains, but considering we've now been through 14 Grand Prix (and a few Sprint Races), I think we've got a pretty good idea of where everyone is at.

So, let's rank them!

Jack Doohan and Franco Colapinto have split duties at Alpine this season, and it has been a little rough. (Getty Images)

6. Jack Doohan/Franco Colapinto

Alpine is one of two teams that have used two rookies this season, and it has not been going great, so we're going to put these fellas together.

Jack Doohan started the season in the second Alpine alongside Pierre Gasly, and after 7 races, they sacked him in favor of Franco Colapinto, who was a stud last season when he replaced Logan Sargeant at Williams, but he's still a rookie in that he's never done a full F1 season.

However, the results haven't been much better. Colapinto's average starting position is a little lower than Doohan's, but his average finish is higher, meaning he's underperforming a tad on Saturday but doing better on Sundays.

Still, it's important to note that Alpine was going to be the most difficult team to be a rookie on due to leadership instability, a car that's not stellar, and an engine that's so bad that Alpine and Renault won't even build their engines starting next season.

Liam Lawson had bounced back well after getting demoted from Red Bull just two weekends into the season. (Photo by Andrea Diodato/NurPhoto via Getty Images).

5. Liam Lawson

Liam Lawson got a raw deal when he was selected to hop into the most difficult seat in the sport alongside Max Verstappen in the second Red Bull.

Within two race weekends, he was sent to Racing Bulls and replaced by Yuki Tsunoda, who should've been in that seat from the start but has also struggled.

Since then, Lawson has been okay as he rebuilds his confidence, but he still hasn't stood out in a Racing Bulls car that some believe is, in some respects, easier to drive than its sister car at Red Bull.

Lawson has a pair of points finishes to his credit, but that is compared to his teammate Isack Hadjar's five points finishes (more on him later).

Ollie Bearman has met expectations, but Haas could use a little more from him as they battle it out in the standings. (Photo by Simon Galloway/LAT Images)

4. Ollie Bearman

Haas went with a rookie driver for the first time since 2021, when the team had an all-rookie line-up, and Bearman came with a bit of experience, having subbed for Ferrari's Carlos Sainz (and scored points that race) and for Haas' Kevin Magnussen.

Bearman has had some really strong performances in qualifying and some solid races, too, but not many that have really impressed.

Haas is currently P9 in the standings, with 35 points, and only 8 of those have been from Bearman, with teammate Esteban Ocon handling the rest of the scoring.

Bearman has finished just outside the points on numerous occasions, but he has to convert on the scoring front a little more often.

Gabriel Bortoleto has been one of the reasons that Sauber has emerged as F1's most surprising team this season. (Photo by Jayce Illman/Getty Images)

3. Gabriel Botorleto

Sauber is easily the most surprising team on the grid, and Gabriel Bortoleto has been a big reason for that. 

After not scoring a single point last season, the team — which will become Audi next season — stunned everyone with Niko Hulkenberg's maiden podium in F1 at the British Grand Prix. While that was the headline staler, it kind of overshadowed some really solid work from Bortoleto all season long, as he has scored 14 of the team's 51 points this season.

Borotoleto is doing exactly what you'd want out of a rookie: score some points on weekends where the car is going to be capable of scoring points.

Solid debut campaign for sure.

All eyes have been on Kimi Antonelli this season, and while his highs have certainly been high, he has had his share of struggles. (Photo by Bryn Lennon - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)

2. Kimi Antonelli

Without a doubt, the most-talked-about rookie in F1 is Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli. The heir-apparent to Lewis Hamilton was sort of rushed into the seat at Mercedes, and, at times, that has shown. An extra season in F2 probably would've done the 18-year-old a lot of good.

This has left Mercedes with a driver who has had some serious highs — a Sprint Race pole in Miami and a podium in Canada — but a lot of lows, including some serious struggles in qualifying going into the break.

I might be a little generous putting Antonelli at two, given how much the struggles have outweighed the triumphs as of late, but I still think his high points have shown that he is the future for Mercedes.

Not even a nightmare start to the season could keep Isack Hadjar from becoming the star of this year's rookie class. (Photo by Jayce Illman/Getty Images)

1. Isack Hadjar

What a year the Racing Bulls rookie is having.

It's been so good that it's easy to forget that it started with him crashing out of the Australian Grand Prix on the formation lap. 

That should have been a devastating blow to a rookie's confidence, but since then, Hadjar has been the top-scoring Red Bull stable driver not named Max Verstappen.

He has 22 points to his name this season, which is more than either of his teammates, Lawson or Tsunoda, has scored.

It's been so good for Hadjar that there's already a lot of buzz about him potentially getting the call to hop in the Red Bull alongside Verstappen.

I'm not sure that's what he'd want at this point in his career, given that seat's reputation, but his stock is certainly sky-high right now.

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So, there you have it, there's your definitive, can't argue with it, 100 percent correct ranking of F1 rookies through 14 races.

F1 is back in action on August 31 for the Dutch Grand Prix.