Which Formula 2 Drivers Could Jump to Formula 1 in 2025?

In 2025, there will be massive changes to the Formula 1 driver lineup. Learn about two Formula 2 drivers who could make the cut.

As the Formula 1 season is about to kick off, the sport prepares to embark on one of the most consequential seasons in its history.

While many drivers, including Fernando Alonso, are already declaring the championship Max Verstappen’s to lose, the grid will be on high alert all season, with driver shuffles opening up several seats and opportunities.

The question is less about which seats will be vacated and more about who will take those seats.

Today, we will look at which seats have the potential to be open in 2025 and if any Formula 2 drivers are ready to take the leap.

What Seats Could Be Available?

As noted, this might be the most consequential season regarding driver rotation in the turbo-hybrid era. As the 2023 season ended, five of the top six teams looked settled in their driver’s lineup, except Red Bull.

In 2024, it looked like Sergio Perez would be racing for his job, but most everybody in the top half of the grid would stay put. A lack of driver rotation damages Formula 2 drivers such as Theo Pourchaire or Ollie Bearman, reserve drivers like Jack Doohan, or even an IndyCar driver like Alex Palou. Should they find a seat, they could be involved in iconic races such as the Monaco Grand Prix, Brazilian Grand Prix, and Italian Grand Prix, as well as participate in three Formula 1 races in the United States, including the Las Vegas Grand Prix and Miami Grand Prix.

That changed, however, when Lewis Hamilton shocked the world by announcing he was leaving Mercedes to join Ferrari in 2025. This change immediately opened up a seat at Mercedes. It opened up a seat at Aston Martin should Alonso join Mercedes or Williams should Alex Albon join the Silver Arrows. Here’s how open each team’s seats are.

Red Bull: One seat potentially open (Sergio Perez due to performance).

Mercedes: One seat open.

Ferrari: No seats open.

McLaren: No seats open.

Aston Martin: Two seats potentially open.

Alpine: One seat potentially open.

Williams: Two seats potentially open.

AlphaTauri: One seat potentially open.

Sauber: Two seats potentially open.

Haas: Two seats potentially open.

None of these are guaranteed, but many of them are likely. Haas and Sauber are likely to either boot one or both of their drivers due to massive organizational changes; both the Williams seats could open up if Logan Sargeant doesn’t progress and Albon leaves for a better team. Both Aston Martin seats could be open if Lance Stroll continues to underachieve and Alonso goes for another team.

With that said, there will be openings this year, and here are a few drivers (and an IndyCar driver) that could find themselves on the grid.

Theo Pourchaire | Sauber Driving Academy

In Formula 1, the driver who most recently won the Formula 2 Championship typically has the inside track towards an F1 seat. For 2023, that was Pourchaire. In the past two seasons, the Frenchman has been the runner-up and then outright champion of the ART Grand Prix team. However, after the championship, he failed to secure an F1 race seat or a reserve driver gig, so he will drive in Super Formula in 2024. However, he comes from the Sauber Driving Academy, making him a favorite to take Zhou Guanyu’s seat should he not perform up to standard this season.

Ollie Bearman | Ferrari Driver Academy

At 18 years old, Bearman has just one year of F2 racing. However, he finished 6th in the driver’s championship and won four races, helping Prema secure a 2nd place finish in the team’s championship. He is back at Prema in 2024, paired with 17-year-old phenom Andrea Kimi Antonelli of the Mercedes program. Antonelli is skipping F3 altogether and could have found himself on this list, but as a 17-year-old, it is unlikely that he would jump straight from F2 to F1.

However, Bearman was brilliant as a rookie F2 driver and has a ton of raw talent. Since Hamilton signed with Ferrari, it is less likely that Bearman would wait for a Ferrari seat to open up, making it more likely for another team to snatch him up.

Jack Doohan | Alpine Academy

At 21, Doohan has long awaited a chance at an F1 seat. Doohan comes from the Alpine Academy and is the Alpine reserve driver for 2024. He recently finished 3rd in the 2023 F2 Championship for Invicta Virtuosi Racing and is a former F3 vice-champion. Doohan appeared to be blocked from an Alpine seat with phenom Oscar Piastri in waiting, but the Australian shocked the world by signing with McLaren rather than Alpine. That leaves the door open for Doohan should Pierre Gasly or Esteban Ocon struggle this season.

Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes Academy

17-year old Andrea Kimi Antonelli is set for his maiden campaign in FIA Formula 2 with PREMA Racing after making the move from karting, where he won multiple titles, to single seaters and the Italian F4 Championship in 2021.

He won the championship in his first full season in 2022 and followed that up by also taking top honors the ADAC F4, as well as the FIA Motorsport Games Formula 4 Cup that same year.

After winning both titles at the Formula Regional Middle East and European Championships in 2023, the Italian is now set to take part in F2 with PREMA, where he will be tasked with replacing last season’s runner-up Frederik Vesti.

If he does good in F2 this season, Mercedes might move him up to F1 to replace the departing Lewis Hamilton.

Alex Palou | IndyCar

Last on our list is the authentic wild card. At 26 years old, Palou is the most senior driver on our list. He last raced in F2 in 2017, participating in just two rounds. After failing to succeed in Europe, Palou ended up in the United States, signing with Dale Coyne Racing in the IndyCar circuit. After a strong debut season, he signed with Chip Ganassi Racing and has found tremendous success. He won the IndyCar Series championship in 2021, leading to his gig as McLaren’s F1 reserve driver. In 2023, he again won the IndyCar championship, and rumors have swirled for years about his shot at F1. 2025 could be the year.

Who Else Could End Up on the Grid?

Ultimately, we are still determining what will happen next season, even as the grid looks to be shuffled. For Formula 2 drivers, along with racers from other series, their opportunities come down to whether teams want to sign F1 veterans like Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hülkenberg or if they want to take a chance on an unproven driver. But if there were ever a year for them to get in on the action, it would be 2025.