With the 2025 season likely to be one of the most competitive years in F1 history, fans have a lot to look out for. Moreover, with six rookies set to make their full-time debuts this year, fans would also be eager to see how each of them performs.
And while a lot has been made up about this infusion of fresh blood in the sport, the rookies can also rewrite history with two records up for grabs. However, they would have to better Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen — two of the greatest drivers of this generation — to break any of those records.
The first of these records only 2025 Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli can break since he enters the sport as the youngest driver on the current grid — aged 18. If the Italian can win a race for the Silver Arrows within the first three rounds of the championship (Australia, Japan, China), he would dethrone Verstappen as the youngest-ever Grand Prix winner.
The next record is open to all the rookies this year. Back in 2007, Hamilton delivered what is arguably the greatest rookie season in the history of the sport. Missing out on the title that year by just one point, the #44 driver racked up an incredible tally of 12 podiums in his first year.
Some of the F1 records that could be broken in 2025 pic.twitter.com/cPrrAq6wwS
— Autosport (@autosport) March 5, 2025
If any of the rookies can manage one better than that, they would not only beat that record but also register themselves in an elite club of rookies who took the sport by storm.
But looking at the pecking order, only Antonelli and Red Bull’s Liam Lawson have a realistic chance of breaking this record. The likes of Isack Hadjar, Jack Doohan, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Ollie Bearman may have the talent, but their mid-field level machinery makes it virtually impossible for them to vie for this accolade.
Hamilton and Verstappen could also break records in 2025
While their current records are under threat from the latest crop of rookies, the duo of Verstappen and Hamilton could also forge new records of their own this season. For the Dutchman, he needs to reignite his 2023 form and win 22 races out of 24 this season to break Hamilton’s record with Mercedes.
The 40-year-old holds the record for the most wins with a single Constructors — with 84 wins with the Silver Arrows.
Having said that, given the glaring issues on the RB21 — carried forward from the RB20 — apparent during pre-season testing last week, this could prove to be a tall order for the 27-year-old.
But there is no prize bigger than what is up for grabs for Hamilton this season. If the #44 driver is able to win that elusive eighth world title with Ferrari, he will surpass Michael Schumacher (7) to become statistically the greatest F1 driver ever.
