A widespread belief altered over 2024, reshaping the landscape of 2025’s driver market speculations. Oliver Bearman’s remarkable performance as an emergency substitute for the sidelined Carlos Sainz at Ferrari during that year’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix effectively refuted the notion that the current Formula 1 cars were too complex for inexperienced drivers.
This perception had significantly influenced the driver selection process in the preceding couple of seasons.
In fact, the relatively stable driver lineup changes between 2023 and 2024 were, in part, due to this very idea. While Logan Sargeant was given an opportunity and subsequently retained, AlphaTauri/RB expressed surprise at Liam Lawson’s late-2023 showings, having already secured Daniel Ricciardo’s services for the subsequent year.
While Ricciardo struggled, younger drivers emerged successfully. Following Bearman’s noteworthy drive at Jeddah in 2024, several more emerging drivers (or those with restricted experience) proceeded to impress when opportunities arose during the season.
Lawson took over from Ricciardo once more in the closing stages of 2024 and secured a Red Bull drive, Franco Colapinto clearly enhanced the team compared to Sargeant, and Alpine even allowed Jack Doohan to participate in the last race of the previous year before a debut season that encompassed only six races.
The inclusion of Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Isack Hadjar on the 2025 starting grid signified a renewed trust in younger talent. Mistakes were invariably associated with this gamble, but they are typically categorized as ‘learning experiences’.
One might have anticipated a comparable pattern for 2026, given the comprehensive revisions in the technical rules. However, Cadillac’s choice to pursue seasoned racers (by acquiring two drivers who lost their rides for 2025) and the predominantly unchanging approach to the next year’s driver assignments elsewhere have generated a slight impediment to entry into the championship.
The pool of rookies for 2026 will be significantly smaller, perhaps even nonexistent. Several individuals have been discussed as potential racers for the upcoming season, although numerous prospects appear unlikely.
Arvid Lindblad
Race winner Arvid Lindblad, Campos Racing
Photo by: Formula Motorsport Ltd
Speculation suggests that Arvid Lindblad will join Racing Bulls next season. Although the Anglo-Swedish competitor is currently in ‘only’ seventh place in his introductory F2 season, Helmut Marko reportedly holds Lindblad in high esteem, and he has apparently left a positive impression on Red Bull’s decision-makers.
Lindblad piloted a Red Bull during FP1 at the British Grand Prix, and further appearances will likely occur later in the season if he secures the Racing Bulls position. Despite being a second slower than Lewis Hamilton in that Silverstone practice, Lindblad was just half a second off Max Verstappen’s quickest time.
Their respective program targets were not necessarily equivalent, as Verstappen conducted a lengthy stint on the medium tire while Lindblad used the soft compound during his runs. However, the four-time champion had previously registered a benchmark using the same compound.
If Lindblad gains entry through the Red Bull entrance for 2026, the task for management will be to determine which drivers are positioned where. Which member of Yuki Tsunoda and Lawson might be excluded, and is the promotion of Hadjar to the main Red Bull squad justified?
The two teams face a considerable amount of decisions to make as the lead-up to next season progresses, but it appears reasonably certain that Lindblad remains under consideration regardless of the final outcome.
Paul Aron
Paul Aron, Sauber
Photo by: Guido De Bortoli / LAT Images via Getty Images
Alpine faces a small predicament regarding the following season. Lacking any choices with substantial experience, the team plans to continue trusting in youth. In that scenario, their attention will most likely stay focused internally: will they keep Colapinto partnering Gasly, or will Paul Aron be selected for next year?
The assumption suggests that Colapinto will remain in place; the Argentinian’s results have progressively strengthened recently, and he is attracting significant interest from South American brands aiming to collaborate with his employer. However, if Flavio Briatore considers that Colapinto does not fit the future requirements of the team, Aron may discover a path to a race seat.
Word suggests that the Estonian driver has been notable in private TPC trials, but this is difficult to confirm with certainty. It is clear that he has consistently performed on-pace during his practice participation with Alpine and Sauber this year, although Hungary presented greater uncertainty considering the engine complications in FP1.
One could claim that Aron also tested Bortoleto and Hadjar in F2 last season, even if his bid for the title slightly faded as the end of the season drew closer.
He is considered a long-shot, but one should not disregard Aron’s chance of securing a Formula 1 drive at this stage.
F2’s first-year crop – Fornaroli, Browning, and Dunne
Podium: Race winner Alex Dunne, Rodin Motorsport, second place Luke Browning, Hitech TGR, third place Leonardo Fornaroli, Invicta Racing
Photo by: Clive Rose / Getty Images
Lindblad’s status appears somewhat unjustified when assessed against other competitors currently available for an F1 race next season, considering the fact that there are three fellow initial-year racers who have been remarkably remarkable this year. However, they are unlikely to be considered for 2026 unless they manage to obtain reliable reserve responsibilities and uncover an entry point to the competition within that capacity.
Of this set of three individuals—Leonardo Fornaroli, Luke Browning, and Alex Dunne—Fornaroli remains independent from any established F1 support system. This position may provide him more theoretical flexibility but also increases the likelihood of him lacking options as teams generally favor their in-house developmental pilots.
In any instance, Fornaroli has emerged as a standout in F2 this season, presenting a level of stability that has impressed many for a driver of his youth. Subsequent to his F3 crown the year prior without securing any individual victories, he has substantiated his capacity to achieve decisive advantages sufficient to earn race victories.
Browning has also exhibited a significant competitive edge. Despite exhibiting less stability when compared to Fornaroli, the Cheshire representative has made frequent visits to the podium all through the season. One strange statistical anomaly pertaining to Browning relates to the contrast between his showing in sprint events compared to main races: 130 out of his 161 points originate from the full-length Sunday races, while the sprint race accounts for only 31 of these points.
Given that his qualifying has consistently remained strong, one may believe that the reversed grid of the sprint races tends to place him at a disadvantage, and the slow creation of tire degradation over lengthy events suits his unique driving approach more ideally. He appears well-suited for a full-time reserve position with Williams for 2026.
Meanwhile, Dunne has stirred both high praise and vexation in roughly identical proportion. Regarded as one of the early hopefuls in the F2 field, having exhibited considerable pace and race wins in Bahrain and at Imola, his eagerness to maintain his start position off the starting line during the Monaco Grand Prix led to a huge pile-up, as he made impact with the unfortunate Victor Martins.
As Dunne modified his overenthusiastic tendencies, he has also encountered periods of misfortune, with mechanical issues robbing him of what might have become very positive performances all through the season.
The Irish driver was excluded from securing second position during the feature race at Austria because of going over the plank wear threshold, and then was issued with a 10-second penalty after winning at Spa after an infringement concerning the established starting settings were not activated, forcing him to slip back to ninth position. Without those instances, he would probably have taken the position currently held by Fornaroli within the championship standings.
Beyond 2026: Can F3’s new champion follow Bortoleto’s path?
F3 Drivers champion and race winner Rafael Camara, Trident
Photo by: Formula Motorsport Ltd
Rafael Camara comfortably secured victory in F3 for the current season, accumulating a considerable advantage of 42 points over Nikola Tsolov, with the Brazilian confirming the title ahead of the final event. Linked to Ferrari’s junior academy, the 20-year-old native of Recife is highly likely to be Scuderia’s most recent addition as Bearman becomes progressively embedded within F1.
Much of Camara’s opportunity to potentially win titles in successive seasons relies significantly on the specific team with which he races in F2 the next year. Although he is not considered an immediate contender for an F1 seat for the upcoming year, he may very probably replicate the success of his compatriot Bortoleto with a career advancement by 2027, so long as he effectively passes the test represented by the introductory year. Endorsement from Ferrari will provide Camara with the backing needed to make this ambition attainable.
Throughout his title-winning campaign within F3, Camara demonstrated an amazing degree of speed during qualifying sessions and obtained pole position across the initial three rounds of the season, along with a further two throughout the nine-round championship.
Qualifying impressively in F3 could be a double-edged issue in certain circumstances; because of the extensive grid numbers, the inversion of top slots to structure the grid for the Saturday sprint races extends to include the leading twelve—therefore, Camara experienced difficulties recovering positions from that point because of the limited opportunities during F3 races, when variations in tire strategy tend to be restricted.
However, this may be reduced significantly when he transitions into F2; must he display development matching that of the titleholders Bortoleto and Fornaroli, he will probably appear in several discussions concerning prospective challengers during the next ‘silly season’ period.
