Finding space in Formula 1 is increasingly difficult. Theo Pourchaire and Felipe Drugovic, winners of the last two seasons of F2, but still without a seat, know something about it. What is even more difficult is having the opportunity to debut in F1 as a rookie in a top team, a scenario that will come true in 2025 for Kimi Antonelli. Being in a team that fights for the top positions allows the driver to show his real value, but it also involves a lot of pressure. Let's look at 5 drivers who, like Kimi Antonelli in Mercedes, made their debut in a top-level team and how their rookie seasons went.
Mercedes makes Antonelli debut, similar cases in history
Clay Regazzoni – Ferrari
Clay Regazzoni, a Swiss driver, began his Formula 1 career in 1970 with Ferrari. Fresh winner of the European Formula 2, the Maranello team decided to bet on him after the first 4 races in which he had fielded only one car on the track. The debut season was incredible. Regazzoni finished on the podium 4 times and celebrated a victory in the Monza Grand Prix in his fifth appearance in the top flight. Despite playing only 8 of the 13 games he finished the season in third position overall.
Johnny Dumfries – Lotus
Johnny Dumfries was a Scottish marquis, as well as a driver. He had a particular debut season, in fact he was also the last of his career in Formula 1. Winner of the English F3 and considered a promising talent, he was hired by Lotus in 1986 for to stand alongside a certain Ayrton Senna, in his third season in F1. The Lotus proved to be an excellent car, with Senna in fact securing 8 podiums, 8 pole positions and 2 victories in 16 races during the season, finishing the championship in 4th place. Dumfries suffered a lot from the comparison with the Brazilian phenomenon; finished the season with only 3 points and reaching the finish line 6 times throughout the season.
Lotus replaced him for the following season. and was never able to carve out a place for himself in Formula 1. Burned too soon, the Scottish driver who had shown so much in the minor categories but who had disappointed in the “big” category, won the 24 Hours of Le Mans a couple of years later.
David Coulthard-Williams
In F1, the English driver's rookie season in a top team began after 4 races, in 1994 with Williams. In winning team of the previous championship that year the great champion Ayrton Senna had arrived, having died in Imola during the third race of the year. Replacing him from the fifth race was Coulthard, third driver and test driver up to that point. The car was very competitive; his teammate, Damon Hill, fought for the title until the last race with Schumacher. Williams took the constructors' title also thanks to his 5 top 6 placings, seasoned with a second, out of 8 races played. The season ended ateighth place.
Jacques Villeneuve – Williams
In 1996, Coulthard left Williams, which again focused on a rookie. This time it was Jacques Villeneuve's turn, a promising 25-year-old driver who had won the Indianapolis 500 the previous year. An amazing Williams, who won 12 out of 16 races, allowed the Canadian driver to express his full potential by completing a exceptional season. Villeneuve took pole position and finished second on his debut, won the first race at the 4th GP and arrived 11 times on the podium, including 7 consecutively. He had the possibility of playing for the title until the last race with teammate Hill, but finished the year in second position.
Lewis Hamilton – McLaren
Lewis Hamilton's debut season is certainly one of the most famous in Formula 1Having arrived at McLaren in 2007 and partnered by reigning champion Fernando Alonso, he had a car at his disposal that proved to be extremely fast right from the first races. Hamilton was not intimidated by his teammate's prestige. In fact, he put in an incredible streak of 9 consecutive podiums since the beginning of the championship, demonstrating a consistency rarely seen in a rookie.
Il dream of a sensational title in his first season in F1 he was broken in the last two races. First in China a mistake at the entrance to the pit lane led to his retirement. Then in Brazil a gearbox problem relegated him to 7th place, thus allowing Raikkonen to overtake him in the title race. Will close the season in second position one point from first place, with well 12 podiums, including 4 victories, in 17 races and with equal points but ahead of his teammate in the standings, fresh from winning two world championships in the previous two years.
